Ahhh, caffeine, the world's most widely consumed psychoactive drug.
And probably the world's most popular nootropic.
If you've never heard the word before,
the term "nootropic" is used to refer to any kind of drug or supplement
that's intended to enhance your cognitive performance.
Caffeine, with its stimulating effect, definitely qualifies.
-"How 'bout some coffee, Johnny?"
-"No, thanks!"
Humans are all about trying to level up their brains,
so it's probably not surprising that supplement companies and startups
are trying to use that to their advantage
by packaging up chemical-sounding components into pills and powders
and telling their customers it will boost their brainpower.
-"So these are the nootropics, right?"
-"There's not a ton of research on it, but this is like breast milk without the vitamins
but more like the immune-boosting things that, like, go in there."
But is any of it real?
Are nootropics, or "smart drugs", really the key to unlocking your brain superpowers?
I was curious.
So I did some research and even decided to try a few of them myself to put it to the test.
Now, right off the bat,
let me say that there are a lot of different kinds of nootropics,
like everything from the caffeine in your morning coffee to expensive designer drugs.
The only thing they all have in common is that they're supposed to help boost your cognitive performance
and/or they're supposed to be good for your brain's long-term health.
-"Brain Force!"
"Which is what I take before I do the show. Nootropics, Google it.
"It's what all the whiz kids in Silicon Valley are taking."
For the purposes of this video,
I'm gonna focus on a handful of products that can be easily,
*legally* obtained pretty much anywhere.
Drugs like amphetamines and methylphenidate, or Adderall and Ritalin,
are frequently used off-label as study aids.
These substances have known measurable effects on cognition.
But they're both prescription medications that are intended to treat neurological conditions.
But what about the stuff you can buy at the grocery store or over-the-counter at a pharmacy?
Is there any reason to spend your hard-earned dollars on that stuff?
Let's dig into some commonly touted nootropics, and find out.
So, caffeine. I have my daily morning dose of caffeine.
Every morning I drink about the equivalent of two cups of coffee,
which is not very much, especially not for a scientist, but it's plenty for me.
MICAH: People out there want to know, what do you  take in your coffee?
ALIE: Nothing.
MICAH: Just black.
ALIE: Black like my soul
[MICAH LAUGHS]
[CAT MIAOWS] ALIE: Yep.
You want some?
[sips] Ahhh...
Caffeine has a bunch of effects on the body like affecting blood flow and heart rate.
In the brain, it prevents drowsiness by binding to adenosine receptors.
Adenosine is a chemical that normally induces sleepiness,
but with caffeine essentially blocking the receptors,
adenosine can't bind to them, effectively preventing that sleepiness.
It also increases the release of neurotransmitters like norepinephrine,
which is associated with alertness and action.
Some research has found that at "normal doses",
which is like two cups of coffee a day,
caffeine can improve wakefulness, concentration and motor coordination.
There's also evidence that caffeine can help protect the brain against some neurodegenerative disorders.
In particular, there's a link between chronic caffeine consumption
and a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease.
And it seems to help prevent the loss of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease.
On the flip side, caffeine can cause sleep disturbances and anxiety,
and it's somewhat addictive, causing withdrawal symptoms like headaches and irritability.
Drank my two cups of coffee as usual.
I either finish it or stop drinking it at 2:00 p.m.
So I don't like to drink the caffeine after then because it has a noticeable effect on my sleep.
So it disturbs my sleep a little bit.
I have a hard time falling asleep if I have caffeine too late in the day.
[CAT MIAOWS]
Yeah, today was fine. Normally I just have that little bit of coffee and it's fine for me.
I don't have any issues with it.
It helps me focus a little bit better in the morning, kind of gets me perked up first thing in the morning.
[CAT MIAOWS] I don't know. Yes, Bill. I don't know how much of that is the caffeine
as much as it's just sort of the, the habit of having it every day.
But I do like to sort of, you know, check my email,
I sip my coffee and I find it pretty helpful for focusing on work, but...
...might just be the ritual and not so much the caffeine.
MICAH: Mmm.
In general if you're consuming caffeine in the form of a cup of coffee or a coke, it's pretty safe.
But you can purchase pure caffeine powder or pills as a dietary supplement.
And at those high levels, it can be super dangerous.
Like, it could literally kill you.
-"I don't know what this fool put in my, in my water yesterday."
-"This is 250mg of caffeine." [ECHOING] "250mg..."
So, is caffeine a real nootropic? Yeah, pretty much, but probably don't buy it as a dietary supplement.
You don't want to end up like Jessie in 'Saved by the Bell'.
-"Pills! You mean you really are taking drugs?"  
-"I need them!"
-"Jessie, give me those!" 
-"I need them, Zack!"
Stick to that hot bean water.
Next up, ginkgo biloba.
This supplement is extracted from the oldest living species of tree on the planet
and it's supposed to help prevent cognitive decline and dementia.
Mind health with an asterisk.
Ginkgo helps maintain peripheral circulation of the extremities, asterisk,
in addition, ginkgo may help support memory,
especially occasional mild memory problems associated with aging.
Another asterisk.
The asterisk means these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. [CAT MIAOWS]
One capsule daily with a full glass of water.
Humans have been interested in it for a long time.
There are texts describing ginkgo biloba's use as a traditional medicine in China
as far back as the 15th century.
Supposedly the flavonoids and terpenoids it contains help improve blood circulation
and fight off free radicals which in turn benefits your overall health.
Unfortunately, the research on ginkgo biloba is pretty shaky.
In studies for older patients, were given either a placebo or ginkgo biloba regularly.
Taking the supplement didn't seem to significantly prevent dementia.
That said, it isn't yet known if taking ginkgo biloba regularly for many years,
like starting when you're in your thirties or forties, might be beneficial or not.
Don't feel any different.
I guess I was pretty focused today, but mostly just because I had all our work that I was trying to get done.
It's supposed to help protect against aging. It's supposed to increase your peripheral blood flow.
MICAH: Hm.
ALIE: So, I guess, like, increased blood flow to your brain is probably the theory behind it, but...
...didn't really feel any different than normal.
Research up to this point has not been statistically significant
and, as a dietary supplement, it hasn't shown any benefit for any other medical uses.
How about creatine? Creatine is an amino acid
that's probably more commonly known for its use as an athletic performance enhancer than as a nootropic.
It helps the body recycle ATP, which is what provides your cells with energy to function.
So if you take it before exercising, it can help improve performance during high-intensity anaerobic activity.
Today we have chelated creatine complex.
It's actually, like, known to be effective in improving athletic performance.
But the theory with nootropics is that,
well, if it's increasing the availability of energy for your body
then it's also increasing the energy available for your brain,
which is a good thing and it's supposed to help you focus better? ...And think harder I guess? So...
I don't know, I mean, it'll probably be good for my bike ride today. So...
Bottoms up!
Chalky.
While in early study in 2009 found some evidence that
creatine supplements might help improve cognitive performance on some tasks,
the research since then has not found a difference between creatine and placebo.
Interestingly, one study found that when vegetarians were given a creatine supplement,
they did better on memory tasks.
But since creatine is found primarily in meat this might mean that
the vegetarians in the study just didn't have enough creatine to begin with.
Increase muscular endurance! Zero water retention! Lean hard gains!
Didn't really notice the difference.
I was wondering on my bike ride today if it was helping me power up,
if I was getting better... um, doing a better job on my bike ride,
but I don't, I mean, I guess it made it seem like
the one really big hill I have to go up on my way home was a little bit easier,
but that could very well just be the placebo effect.
I didn't feel like it helped me focus.
But the evidence isn't really there to support it as a real nootropic.
So if you're an herbivore, or if you're looking to boost your athletic performance,
maybe check out creatine supplements.
But if you just want to increase your brain power you can probably skip it.
Some nootropics are less about improving memory and more about improving your mood.
Like L-theanine.
L-theanine is a nootropic that's supposed to help you feel more relaxed and calm.
Alright, tonight is L-theanine.
Should have taken it before I went to work today because it turned out to be a very stressful day at work,
but I thought that L-theanine would be nice in the evening
when I have a little bit more work to get done before I can really enjoy the weekend.
It promotes relaxation and will maintain alertness and promotes healthy cognitive function.
Let's give it a try.
One capsule one to two times daily,
preferably on an empty stomach. Well, my stomach is empty, so.
MICAH: Bottoms up.
[CAT MIAOWS]
Yeah, Bill, do you want one? You can't have one.
It's a non-essential non-dietary amino acid, so it's not very common in our diets,
though it is found in green tea.
It's similar in structure to glutamine,
which is the precursor to the neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate.
Animal studies have indicated that L-theanine may act to increase GABAergic signaling in the brain.
This signaling tends to prevent neurons from firing
and has been connected with improving symptoms of anxiety.
In humans, research has found that by some measures
L-theanine can help subjects feel more relaxed in the face of stressful tasks.
And physically, it can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol in your saliva.
I didn't really notice a change in my focus
or, like, feel particularly relaxed compared to normal.
I didn't really feel any different
but maybe it's the kind of thing you have to take for a while to really have an effect.
I don't know, the package didn't say, so.
I got pretty sleepy and couldn't really work any more pretty early.
So I just played video games.
There's also some evidence that long-term use of L-theanine
may have neuroprotective effects against aging and injury.
So it sort of seems like L-theanine may actually be kind of helpful.
Finally, let's talk about a more controversial nootropic.
Nicotine.
Nicotine is highly addictive and tobacco use can cause a variety of serious
and sometimes fatal health problems.
Nicotine itself is a stimulant.
It's found in many plants in the nightshade family
and it isn't thought to be too dangerous on its own for adults,
although there is good evidence that it can cause birth defects
and may lead to developmental problems in adolescents.
MICAH: So you didn't want to do this.
ALIE: No.
MICAH: So I decided to volunteer my body for science, uh...
...and try this out.
I accidentally bought the four milligram gum,
which is I guess the like more powerful kind of nicotine gum.
So I'm actually gonna cut this in half.
So it's a lower dose 'cause I'm not a smoker,
never actually smoked a cigarette before.
Uh, so, kind of scary-
ALIE: So you've never had nicotine before.
MICAH: No.
Alright, here we go.    
ALIE: Bottoms up.
ALIE: How does it taste?
MICAH: Like gum. I actually expected it to taste bad.
ALIE: Why?
MICAH: I don't know, like, anything with some sort of additive that isn't for flavor
I thought would just sort of stick out.
ALIE: Getting a rush yet? 
MICAH: Nothing yet.
ALIE: Well, I guess we'll see how it goes.
MICAH: Check back in in a few minutes.
Nicotine acts as an agonist at most nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain
which means that it mimics the binding of our own neurotransmitters
and activates the cell's response.
The downstream effects include modulating the release of a bunch of other kinds of neurotransmitters
like dopamine, serotonin and acetylcholine.
At low doses, research has found that
nicotine can improve fine motor control, attention orienting and short-term and working memory.
Those effects may actually play into part of why nicotine can be so addictive
because you end up feeling sluggish and have a hard time focusing without it.
ALIE: So how do you feel after the nicotine gum?
MICAH: It was really interesting.
I definitely had like a head rush right when it started to hit
and so like it, it went like up here, it felt like,
and then went throughout my body in a way, like, I felt kind of tingly
or like, like blood was rushing a little faster, My heart was being a little bit faster.
ALIE: Did you feel like it helped you work?
MICAH: I don't know... it was, it was almost like distracting, I guess.
I was really just hyper-focused on like, woah, this feels weird.
ALIE: Yeah.
MICAH: I also didn't eat before or like for a few hours,
so that might be part of the reason why it really hit me pretty hard.
It's interesting, it's different.
ALIE: But just because the substance might have some beneficial effects doesn't make the risks worth it.
And given all of the health risks associated with the most common routes of nicotine usage,
I would personally put nicotine squarely in the not-worth-it box.
These are just a few of the common nootropics out there.
But the list goes on and on and on.
A quick Google search brings up dozens of options and if you walk into your local supplement shop,
I am sure they can show you a whole aisle of smart drugs.
But when I think about nootropics and cognitive enhancement in the context of my own life,
I just don't really see the point.
Scientists and doctors have known for a long time
that there are several keys to protecting your brain against aging and dementia
and none of them involve paying for supplement pills.
The number one way to protect your brain is to engage in regular aerobic exercise.
It's now recommended that adults try to get two and a half hours of aerobic exercise per week.
I'm willing to bet that almost none of us are actually achieving that.
So, get outside, go for a walk and get your heart pumping.
You can also protect your brain health by eating a healthy diet
that's high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and low in refined sugar and fats.
Also, try to get plenty of sleep.
There's some really compelling evidence that sleep deprivation
and sleep disturbances contribute significantly to the development of dementia,
as well as affecting your attention and concentration on a daily basis.
And finally, stay socially engaged, 
spend time with your friends and family
and do activities that you enjoy and that keep you entertained.
Humans are inherently social creatures
and it's good for our physical and mental health to be around other people.
So I personally probably won't be adding any expensive supplements to my diet
though I might start drinking more green tea to get some of that relaxing L-theanine.
But what about you? Do you use any nootropic products?
Are there any you wish that I'd covered?
What makes you feel that they're useful?
Or what makes you skeptical about the claims?
Let us know in the comments below.
Until our next transmission, I'm Alie Astrocyte.
Over and out.
MICAH: Cool!
ALIE: Good?
MICAH: Good.
[OUTRO MUSIC]
