It is often said that human beings only use ten percent of their brains. Countless movies make use of this common canard to transform ordinary characters into amazing brainiacs who can learn new languages, solve complex math equations, even control people with their minds. Such is the storyline of the 2014 film Lucy, in which the titular character becomes a super genius after ingesting a uk modafinil drug. In spite of the fact that the ten-percent brain myth is entirely unfounded, there is some evidence that the Modafinil class of drugs can improve one or more aspects of mental function.

What are Modafinils?

Before we begin, let us disabuse you of the notion that greatness comes in pill form. If you take Modafinils, you will not acquire any extraordinary, supernatural mental abilities. You will suddenly, inexplicably be able to play the piano like Mozart or write like William Shakespeare. At their best, Modafinils are drugs that may enhance working memory, motivation, and attention, thereby making you seem smarter. With that said, there is little evidence that they can actually increase your IQ or turn you into some kind of mastermind overnight.

Types

Sold as drugs, supplements, or foods, Modafinils include several classes of drugs that may have cognitive benefits, including stimulants, nutraceuticals, and racetrams. Scientific research on drugs in these groups range from comprehensive to non-existent. Let us take a moment to discuss each class individually.

Stimulants

The most studied class of smart drugs, stimulants are used mainly to treat patients with cognitive and/or motor function problems that stem from disorders such as ADHD and Alzheimer's disease. Medical reviews have found that certain stimulants can improve mental cognition in the general population, but only at low doses or concentrations. Drugs such as Adderall, Adranifil, Ritalin have proved effective at increasing cognitive control, alertness, and working memory, especially in those that have trouble concentrating for protracted periods of time. Other than caffeine, however, most stimulants are prescribed to and taken by patients with cognitive impairments. In other words, they may not produce the desired results in ordinary people who want an instant brain boost.

Nutraceuticals

Defined as any foodstuff (vitamin, mineral, herb, etc.) that is believed to provide health or medicinal benefits, nutraceuticals are quite popular in traditional Chinese and Hindu medicines. The most common cognitive benefits of this class of drugs is memory enhancement, including both the speed and accuracy of recall. These supplements are especially effective when taken for extended periods of time, since it may take for the body time to adapt to increased dosage due to the development of tolerance.

At present, the two most popular nutraceuticals are panax ginseng and Ginkgo biloba. Both dietary supplements are widely sold as memory enhancers; although different reviews come to different conclusions on their supposed benefits. Because most nutraceuticals do not have adverse side effects, they are considered to be a safe, healthy alternative to prescription medications for memory enhancement.

Racetams

Often sold as over-the-counter cognitive enhancers, drugs in the racetam family have a wide range of applications. While not the wonder drug you might see in the movies, the most popular member of the family, piracetam, may improve cognitive function without acting as a sedative or a stimulant. Although its mechanism of action is not fully understood, researchers do know that the drug increases blood flow and oxygen consumption in certain areas of the brain. Widely available for sale on the internet, racetam supplements have few reported side effects and are considered safe by most medical professionals. Many of the drugs in this class work well over prolonged periods of time. In fact, the peak benefits may not be realize for several weeks when taking some racetams.

Other Modafinils

As with any large family of drugs, there are several Modafinils that do not fit neatly into any of the aforementioned categories; either because they don't belong there or they haven't be adequately tested to determine where they belong.

Tianeptine

Used primarily as an antidepressant, tianeptine has been found to improve cognition in animal testing. Researchers have also noted a significant increase in the magnitude of synaptic plasticity in animals that were administered the drug. These results suggest that tianeptine should improve learning and memory, at least in laboratory rats. Further testing is needed to determine if tianeptine is a bona fide smart drug or simply an anxiolytic.

Conclusion

Whether we use 10 or 100 percent of our brains, it's clear that we don't know enough about modafinil uk pharmacy to say with any degree of certainty how effective they might be. What we do know, however, is that some drugs in the admittedly large group have shown promising results in scientific testing. A handful of these drugs have actually earned the moniker "smart drug" because they do improve some aspects of cognitive function; albeit not to the extent of Lucy.