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Ingredients | Main active compounds | Effects and possible mechanisms of actions |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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Vitamin B6 | Pyridoxal, pyridoxamine, and pyridoxine | Homocysteine remethylation cofactor |
Reduce blood homocysteine level which is a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease and neuron toxicity |
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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 |
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L-Tyrosine | L-Tyrosine | Promotes protein utilization and enhances IgG antibody induction |
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L-Pyroglutamic acid | L-Pyroglutamic acid | Makes N-terminal modification in neuronal peptides, hormones and peptides, and analogue/reservoir of glutamate |
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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 |
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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 |
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Cola nut extract (kola nitida) | Caffeine Theobromine Theophylline | Decrease brain beta-amyloid |
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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 |
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L-Glutamine | | Reduces beta-amyloid and H2O2-induced stress and DNA damage |
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L-Phenylalanine | | An essential amino acid that can be converted to tyrosine and other excitatory neurotransmitters (dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine) |
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L-Cysteine | | A precursor of the antioxidant glutathione and a flavor |
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