The basic idea behind Nootropics is improving cognition, but what exactly is cognition?

Cognition is a blanket term that covers various aspects of the brain such as learning, memory, perception, reasoning, intelligence, problem solving, and just about any other term that is used to describe a function of the brain. The term itself is somewhat vague for a good reason. The reason is that we don't know a lot about how the brain really works. However, we are getting there slowly. There are a few new of fields such as neuropsychology and cognitive science that are currently examining the way the brain processes, stores, and uses information.

About Piracetam

One of the most well known Nootropics available is Piracetam. Also known by the brand names Myocalm, Qropi, Dinagen, Synaptine, and most commonly Nootropil. It is currently considered to be more of a dietary or food supplement than a drug, even though it is prescribed by doctors to patients. I titled this article "the drug in need of a disease" because to the best of my knowledge there is no substantial evidence that Piracetam is the end all cure for any disease. It does appear to help in some cases, but as for now it appears to be more of an aid more than a treatment. Having said that I don't intend to focus on Piracetam as a cure for a disease, but more as a cognitive stimulant or Nootropic.

What if there was a pill that you could take that could improve your mental capacity? One that would make you smarter, improve your memory, or even give you the chance to slow down the aging of your brain? This is the idea behind a new class of drugs called nootropics.

Chance are you have probably already heard of nootropics. They are more commonly referred to as "cognitive enhancers", "brain enhancers", "smart nutrients", "cognitive enhancers" and probably most commonly "smart drugs". They are a type of drugs that improve human cognitive abilities. This site covers all substances, including nutrients, herbs, and prescription drugs, that have possible cognitive enhancing effects.

Dr. Corneliu Giurgea first gave the name "nootropic" to cognitive enhancing drugs. The word itself is derived from two greek words noos (mind), and tropein (to bend). Although most nootropics are not typically "mind bending", some do have more profound effects than others.

One important thing to understand about nootropics is that it is not really understood exactly how they work. While some believe that they work by altering the supply of certain chemicals to the brain such as enzymes, hormones, or neurotransmitters; there are others that believe they work by improving the brain's oxygen supply or stimulating nerve growth. There is even a group of people that believe that they don't do anything, but believing that they do is what actually makes them work.

The truth is that we don't to what extent they work, how they work, or if they work at all because we don't fully understand how cognition and intelligence works.