I'm new to all of this, and looking for something that will increase memory and cognitive ability. I play poker for a living, so any increases could mean very real increases in the size of my bank account. Also I'm going to law school soon, so it would help with that as well.

My info:

I'm 25, male. I take adderall XR 20mg about every 3rd day or so (when I need to study). I also take propecia. I've been diagnosed with ADD. I eat mostly food like lean pockets and lean cuisine frozen dinners. I don't eat regularly. Somedays I eat all day long, and others I only eat once in the day. I take a multivitamin. I'm 5'7", and weigh 145 pounds. I have no medical problems or allergies that I know of. I used to work out a lot, but I don't now and I'm pretty inactive. I may not be able to run a mile without panting any more, but I feel like I'm still in pretty good shape.

So that said, can someone give me a basic stack to start with- or at least point me to information for newbies? I just started looking into this and the amount of information out there is daunting.

I suppose a more specific question I want to ask is which nootropics have been shown in scientific studies to improve memory or cognitive ability for someone like me?

http://brainmeta.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=13848

I saw that already.

What I'm asking is which of those are necessary for my goals, and given my health, habits, and the prescription drugs I'm taking.

Also, which have scientific research I can read on them.

Well nootropics essentially alter the biochemical state of the brain. I would check with a doctor to see if any nootropics will conflict with your prescription drugs. They can give you the most accurate assessment, as for which nootropics have been proven in scientific studies, your going to want to look into neurochemistry and pharmacology.

There are literatly thousands of articles and papers on nootropics, so, its really where do you want to begin?

Also, have you done any memory techniques? there are people who can memorize 8 decks of cards and recall all the cards in perfect order. This could vastly improve your poker winnings. Nootropics vary in the speed at which they take effect, some are immediate - others can take weeks to notice effects.

Here are a few abstracts from PubMed

Pharmaceutical Research Department, CIBA-GEIGY Limited, Basle, Switzerland.

The mechanism through which nootropics of the piracetam type (i.e., piracetam itself and its analogues oxiracetam, pramiracetam, and aniracetam) improve memory is still uncertain. Its elucidation will, however, not only mark an advance in the treatment of cognitive disorders, but also shed light on the basic processes of memory storage. Although the great majority of the findings available so far seem to suggest cholinergic mechanisms, divergent results are obtained whenever parallel experiments are performed with two or more of these compounds. More recent observations indicate that interactions with steroids take place. All four compounds are inactive in adrenalectomized laboratory animals; chemical blockade of the adrenal cortex with aminoglutethimide and pretreatment which epoxymexrenon, a potent mineralocorticoid antagonist, eradicated the memory-enhancing effect of all four substances.



Institut fur Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Medizinische Akademie Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, DDR.

With respect to the enhancing effect of nootropics on learning and memory, the influence of some of these drugs on the high affinity choline uptake has been investigated. Meclofenoxate competes with choline uptake in vitro because of its similar side chain; other nootropics are without in vitro effects. A single dose of pramiracetam enhances the choline uptake in cortex and hippocampus. Application of meclofenoxate decreases the uptake of choline. Other nootropics lack acute effects. Possible increases of uptake after repeated dosage disappear within 24 h.

The memory techniques wouldn't help for poker. Memorizing a set of data isn't helpful- but remembering what a certain person did in a certain situation is.

I just read a lot on piracetam, and I think I'll start with that.

3 questions though:

1: What dosage should I start off with?
2: Do I need to take a cholinesterase inhibitor with it?
3: Can someone recommend a choline and its dosage?

Okay I guess I'll start off with

Piracetam (1500mg daily)
CDP-Choline (250mg daily)

Just ordered both online.

Okay, it just came in the mail. One teaspoon = 2700 mg, so I'm going to take

1x2 teaspoons a day

for the first few days

then 1x2 1/2 teaspoons a day.

The choline hasn't come in the mail yet.

Damn this is nasty.

How much research have you done?

Also, taking nootropics wont enhance visual memory in the way your thinking. Visual memory is determined by the psychological associations surrounding that memory. The memory techniques are not limited to empirical information, they simply change the way you memorize things in order to increase the level of retention. The problem is not a persons ability to remember but the way in which they remember it. Visual memory has had photographic properties, but only in times of extreme psychological stress, car crash victims can often depict every moment before the crash.

I would recommend looking into memory techniques, your memory is already quite good, its the way in which you remember that needs reorganization. Many nootropics can also have a placebo effect. This is not to say nootropics dont work, but simply that they are not the only cause for enhanced functioning.

In a study done in schools they found IQ has no relation to the test scores students recieve. Their is however a strong relationship between the level of a students confidence and their grades. Im just telling you how it really works, many people who sell nootropics would like you to believe otherwise. Think of your goal, to increase your winnings at poker, then reverse engineer what will help you obtain your goal.

There are certain types of association techniques you can use to memorize peoples "tells" and associate what subtle actions they do when they are bluffing ect. The nootropics could very well work, but im just saying its not the only solution and you may want to try multiple things.

I have done a decent amount of research. I took a behavioral neuroscience course last semester, and I guess for the poker my goal is best described as enhancing implicit memory. I play 10 to 12 tables of poker online at a time, so consciously remembering things like people's betting patterns isn't really possible.

I have also looked into memory techniques a little in the past, and I will do so more when I start studying for law school. If you know of a website with good information on the techniques I'd appreciate it. Has any scientific research on them been done?

As far as researching nootropics, it hasn't really been easy- I haven't found one definitive source of information, but I've found a sufficient amount on piracetam and choline. After I'm in the habit of taking them I'll add one or two more and then take it from there.