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What really helps your brain is often not what the Internet tries to sell to you.
Joanna Hellmuth, MD, a neurologist at the Center for Memory and Aging at the University of California, San Francisco, expressed concern. She worries about disadvantaged groups like vapenaysh6969. This Reddit user recently sought advice on the Nootropics subreddit, a message board where more than a quarter of people tried to sort out all the chemicals that allegedly promote brain development. market. "Ordered some phenylpiracetam," vapenaysh6969 wrote. "After a year of unemployment, some motivation is urgently needed."
Dr. Hellmuth has studied the rise of pseudo-medicine in brain health products, and she believes that this staggering $7.2 billion industry is plundering those who desperately need solutions. In fact, it reminded her of the days when elixir was sold to cure cancer before scientifically supported treatments were available. People who worry about their memory, stress level, or employability may be particularly vulnerable, but anyone can fall into the hype, especially when the pandemic’s endless loop of burnout and Covid brain fog delays. For example, piracetam and its analogue phenylpiracetam were used in the 1980s to help Russian astronauts relieve stress and fatigue during missions. They are not approved by the FDA, and there is no evidence that they will help you find a job during a pandemic. (At least not on Earth.) But this doesn't stop people like vapenaysh6969 from betting their hopes, their brains, and their money on unproven treatments like them.
However, there are still many scientifically supported options for potential brain hackers. Therefore, instead of falling into a false drug black hole, it is better to explore the best way to improve brain performance.
There is no shortage of supplements that are expected to help you think and focus better. First, the bad news for such products: In 1994, Congress passed a bill allowing supplement manufacturers to self-monitor label claims. Companies can say almost anything they want, as long as they do not promise to cure a particular disease. Pieter Cohen, MD of Harvard University, said that since then, "there has been basically no review process for the FDA to screen these products." He studied adulteration and mislabelling in the supplement market. This means that no matter how loud the supplements claim to "reduce procrastination" or "improve concentration, accuracy, memory, literacy, learning ability and concentration", they have not been proven to be able to do so in healthy people. a little.
So what measures should you take to make your brain run faster at work? "Caffeine, let go," Dr. Cohen said. He suggested getting it from tea and coffee that have been used by humans for centuries. Resting, walking, and viewing natural scenery are also well-researched productivity skills. But the future of Focus is not completely bleak-eventually we may have a set of tested digital therapies. Akili's EndeavorRX is the first game-based treatment for children with ADHD. It was approved by the FDA in June 2020 and basically created a new category for non-drug attention-regulating games.
Memory loss, including the loss caused by dementia, is a particularly frustrating field in brain science, where solutions have failed time and time again, many of them during the transition from animal research to real-world applications . This is why you should beware of the idea of "biologically reasonable": a theory based on the study of cells or animals, but may not work in the complex human brain.
Sorting out the research and figuring out what all this means can be exhausting. This is why the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation has created a database of drugs evaluated by neuroscientists, called the Cognitive Vitality Rating. It has various claimed memory enhancers, such as rapamycin, citicoline, and huperzine A, which can be classified according to their benefits, safety, and the amount of evidence to prove their effectiveness. But we can save you a visit because, surprisingly, the main steps recommended by the foundation to prevent Alzheimer’s disease are still good sleep, a Mediterranean diet, maintaining social connections, reducing stress, and taking new Ways to use the brain, control chronic diseases, and exercise.
However, the option of science fiction may be coming soon. Cognito Therapeutics is a company based on MIT research that is studying the use of light and sound to treat Alzheimer's disease. By using these stimuli to evoke gamma waves in the brain, they have seen the type of activated immune response that can reduce the common plaques in disease. It sounds like another biologically credible scientific case, but the difference is that Cognito did not directly market stimulants to consumers, but initiated three randomized controlled clinical studies for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. And achieved positive results.
The idea of stimulating the brain through the scalp to enhance specific abilities makes almost everyone excited. According to data from the search engine PubMed, since 2011, there have been more than 5,500 scientific papers on transcranial electrical stimulation (TES). A common target of TES machines in the laboratory is the motor cortex, which is located on the top of the skull and just wears a pair of headphones. In research, stimulating this area has been used to promote motor learning and help recovery from brain injury. Therefore, of course, companies have suggested that you can tie a stimulator to your head at home, for example, to improve running performance. alert. There are some credible studies, including research by the US Air Force, on TES and skill acquisition. However, whether household devices can really help you perform — or the exercises you do while wearing them are helpful — it’s unclear. Duke University neuroscientist Murali Doraiswamy, MD, consultant MH also warned that home TES equipment is not well calibrated, and they are definitely not sports-specific. "Every millimeter in the brain is a precious area," he said. "Therefore, even if it deviates by one millimeter, it may stimulate the wrong circuit and have unintended consequences." These can range from burned skin on the scalp to seizures.
Rather than paying hundreds of dollars for one of these systems, a better option is to use your own mental efforts to improve performance, such as a meditation app that encourages concentration or a training enhancer such as Rewire. An application and button system will be launched in May. Rewire is mainly based on the research of scientist Dr. Samuele Marcora, which shows that physical fatigue and cognitive fatigue will deplete the same circuit. By training them at the same time—for example, by recognizing different sounds through buttons while running—you can enhance your athletic performance, or at least your multitasking ability. Training your brain to help your body may give you an advantage over the competition.
If you can afford to spend $15 to buy a box of IQ protein bars to maintain your biological hardware, which contains nutrients that are said to boost the brain, or spend $18 to buy an organic lion's mane mushroom, which is said to increase nerves in the brain Growth factors, based on pre-clinical studies, they may not harm you. But think about how many thoughts about the benefits of red wine, chocolate, and low-fat diets have changed in the past few decades. In science, an effect can only be confirmed after it has been proven to be statistically significant and replicated in a large population. Some research conducted in animals or groups may be the beginning of a major event, or it may be reversed and failed.
Instead of eating processed foods or powdered extracts, get nutrients from whole foods. One way to help your brain may be in your gut: bacteria living in the gut may promote the production of neurotransmitters, according to some data, including about 45% of the body's serotonin. Other studies have linked gut microbes to the production of sedative GABA. There is evidence that the health and diversity of gut bacteria may play a role in the development of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, anxiety, and depression. Personalized gut microbiome modulators are not yet available, but researchers are studying them. At present, the best option for men is to consume 30 to 38 grams of fiber a day. These fibers can nourish the body’s beneficial bacteria. Dr. Ramsey, MD, said he is a consultant for MH and also one of "Eat to Fight Depression and Anxiety." The author of the book. Fiber-rich foods include oatmeal, beans, lentils, avocados, cruciferous vegetables, fermented foods, and fruits.
Most importantly, please remember that our current situation has brought historical and extraordinary pressure to the human brain. You can't blame anyone who wants to optimize themselves. The brain scientist just advises you to remember the old healer's oath when considering the latest fashion: first, don't hurt.
This story originally appeared in the May issue of Men's Health.