Your Brain's Best Friend
The ability to remember and learn is a phenomenal gift, one we eventually realize cannot be taken for granted. But intelligence does have a chemical basis, so there are steps you can take to protect and maintain it.
DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol) is a nutritional building block of thought and memory. It is a highly bioactive precursor of choline, the chemical foundation of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
Brain cells use acetylcholine to communicate and network with each other. Without it, we could not concentrate, learn, or remember. DMAE readily crosses the blood-brain barrier to increase levels of choline in the brain and promote production of acetylcholine.
Supplemental DMAE has been found to enhance mental concentration, making it a powerful nutritional tool for times when you need your brain to function at its best. And because acetylcholine activity declines with age, DMAE may be your brain's best friend - one of the most important nutritional keys to living better, living longer.
Natural Cognitive Support
Natural to humans and animals, DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol) is found mostly in fish such as anchovies and sardines. When a third methyl group is attached to DMAE in the body, it becomes choline (trimethylaminoethanol).
Choline is a crucial chemical the brain uses to synthesize the "coin of its realm," acetylcholine. This is the neurotransmitter of higher cognitive function that enables us to think and learn, to create and recall memories.
DMAE is an ideal source of choline because, unlike choline, DMAE is not broken down by gut bacteria. It is also much better at crossing the blood-brain barrier, where it promotes increased choline and hence acetylcholine levels in the brain.
Chemical of Thought
Higher acetylcholine activity is associated with sustained concentration, quicker problem-solving, and a sharper memory (particularly short-term memory). With age, however, the brain's production of acetylcholine naturally decreases, which leads to difficulty concentrating, muddled thinking, and sluggish reflexes. Pesticides that act as neurotoxins can also degrade human brain cells.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study with normal adults taking DMAE, subjects experienced greater concentration and attention spans. DMAE improved their mental energy, mood, and sleep. They also developed better muscle tone, perhaps because acetylcholine role in muscular junctions for proper muscle movement.
A study of children who took DMAE reported calmer, more focused behavior along with lengthened attention spans.
Brain Cell Integrity and Protection
Choline made from DMAE is also the basis of phophatidylcholine, a specialized fatty acid that helps maintain a fluidity and function of brain cell membranes. Low levels of choline in the blood, however, can cause the body to remove choline from its neural membranes. This can diminish mental function. Using DMAE to maintain choline levels may be a wise precaution to protect the brain.
DMAE also helps stabilize brain cell membranes. As an antioxidant, it can neutralize the dangerous hydroxyl free radical that degrades fragile cellular surfaces. The aging process itself is correlated with cumulative oxidative damage to neuronal membranes. Source: Source Naturals
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Scientific References
Hochschild R. 1973. Effect of dimethylaminoethyl (DMAE) p-chlorophenoxyacetate on the life span of male Swiss Webster albino mice. Exp. Geront. 8:177-83.
Murphree HB, et al. 1960. The stimulant effect of 2-diethylaminoethanol (DMAE) in human volunteer subjects. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 1:303-310.
Pfeiffer CC. 1959. Parasympathetic neurohumors. Possible precursors and effect on behavior. International Review of Neurobiology. 1:195-244.
Wurtman RJ, et. al. 1982. Brain choline: Its sources and effects on the synthesis and release of acetylcholine. Aging. 19:303-13.
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