|
| Ingredients | Main active compounds | Effects and possible mechanisms of actions |
|
| Phosphatidylserine | Phosphatidylserine | Improves cognitive performance in elderly adults with memory deficits |
| Enhances cognitive performance in school children and adults |
| Restores impaired neuronal calcium and glucose uptake and metabolism in aged brain |
| Precursor of neuronal membrane phospholipid that is responsible for neuroplasticity, learning, and memory |
| Neuroprotection |
|
| Catharanthus roseus | Vinpocetine | Enhance memory function in young healthy volunteers and in animals |
| Protect against ischemia by improving blood perfusion and cerebral blood flow |
| Increase glucose and oxygen consumption, cerebral ATP, and cAMP levels |
| Improve cerebral microcirculation by inhibiting platelet aggregation |
| Reduce red blood cell deformability and cerebral vascular resistance |
| Enhance neurotransmitter production, release, and concentration in the brain |
| Block voltage-gated sodium channels and potentiate the neuroprotective effect of adenosine in hypoxia |
|
| Huperzia serrata (whole plant) | Huperzine A
Huperzine B | Inhibitor of AChE and NMDAR |
| Inhibitor of b-amyloid neurotoxicity |
| Strong antioxidative, antiapoptotic, and neuroprotective activities |
| Improve cognition in healthy people |
| Reverse or attenuate cognitive deficits in older adults |
|
| Ginkgo biloba | Flavonoids
Terpenoids
Terpene lactones (ginkgolides and bilobalide) | Large dose may improve cognition, daily living activities, and mood |
| Dose-dependent and specific enhancing effects on memory, cognitive performance, and alertness in healthy adults |
| Delay cognitive decline in elderly population |
| Potentiate the cognitive-enhancing effects of phosphatidylserine |
| Memory improving effect in older people with memory deficits |
| Increase blood supply, vasodilation, reduce blood viscosity, balance neurotransmitter systems, and reduce free radicals |
| Inhibitor of platelet activating factor |
|
| Vitamin B6 | Pyridoxal, pyridoxamine, and pyridoxine | Homocysteine remethylation cofactor |
| Reduce blood homocysteine level which is a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease and neuron toxicity |
|
| Vitamin B12 | | Required for the methylation of homocysteine to methionine and needed for myelin, neurotransmitters, and membrane phospholipids for maintaining the integrity of the central nervous system |
| | Protects against brain atrophy |
| | Protects mood and memory function |
|
| L-Tyrosine | L-Tyrosine | Promotes protein utilization and enhances IgG antibody induction |
|
| L-Pyroglutamic acid | L-Pyroglutamic acid | Makes N-terminal modification in neuronal peptides, hormones and peptides, and analogue/reservoir of glutamate |
|
Green tea extract
(Camellia sinensis, leaf) | Tea polyphenols (epigallocatechin gallate) | Free-radical scavengers, strong antioxidants, and neuroprotection |
| Anti-inflammatory; improve vasodilation and normal blood pressure, normal glucose, and lipid metabolism |
|
| Acetyl-L-carnitine | Acetyl-L-carnitine | Regulates neuroplasticity, membrane function, and neurotransmitter release; reduces pain and depression activity at cholinergic neurons; membrane stabilization; and enhancing mitochondrial function |
|
| Cola nut extract (kola nitida) | Caffeine
Theobromine
Theophylline | Decrease brain beta-amyloid |
|
| Choline bitartrate | | A precursor of acetylcholine, a cholinergic neurotransmitter that declines with advancing age |
| | Improves auditory and visual word recognition at a dose of 12 g per day for 2 weeks |
|
| L-Glutamine | | Reduces beta-amyloid and H2O2-induced stress and DNA damage |
|
| L-Phenylalanine | | An essential amino acid that can be converted to tyrosine and other excitatory neurotransmitters (dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine) |
|
| L-Cysteine | | A precursor of the antioxidant glutathione and a flavor |
|
