Noopept® is a popular cognitive enhancer in the nootropic community. A lot of people use it to improve their focus and memory and speed up learning.
However, there aren’t a lot of human studies on noopept, and it can be difficult to figure out what its real benefits are and what might be placebo. What does the research actually say about noopept?
Here’s an in-depth look at noopept, how it works, dosage and side effects, and possible benefits you can get from taking it.
What Is Noopept?
Noopept is a synthetic cognitive enhancer made in 1996 by the Russian company JSC Lekko Pharmaceuticals.
Noopept is related to racetams, another class of nootropics. While noopept’s chemical structure is slightly different, it acts like a racetam by increasing acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that influences your attention, learning, and memory.
3 Possible Benefits of Noopept
There are no studies that use noopept in healthy humans. There’s been only one human study, and it found that noopept improved brain recovery and relieved cognitive impairment in people who had strokes.[1]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22500312/
However, a large body of animal research suggests noopept is a powerful nootropic and neuroprotective agent (it may protect your brain from stress).
Noopept is also popular in the smart drug community, and many people report significant benefits after using noopept, although there’s no formal research to back those claims up.
Nonetheless, there’s enough animal research and enough anecdotal evidence that you may want to experiment with noopept. The single study of noopept in humans suggests that it’s safe to take and has no meaningful side effects,[2]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22500312/ and it may give you the following benefits. The best way to find out is to try it for yourself.
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Decreased Mental Stress
Several studies have found that noopept may reduce stress on the brain.
The one study on noopept in humans took place in 2011. Researchers gave noopept to 60 patients who had brain damage following a stroke. Patients took noopept daily for 12 months, and those who took noopept saw a significant improvement in brain recovery and a decrease in oxidative damage.[3]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22500312/
Several animal studies have found similar results. Rats with dementia show an improvement in spatial memory, lower levels of brain inflammation, and better ability to slow or prevent brain damage when they take noopept.[4]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17092975/[5]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21986202/[6]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12596521/
Enhanced Learning and Memory
Noopept may also improve learning and memory.
Healthy rats learn faster and show better recall on memory tasks when researchers give them noopept, suggesting that it may have a nootropic effect.[7]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12596521/
Noopept also increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in rats.[8]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19240853/ BDNF is an essential part of learning and memory; it helps build and strengthen new brain pathways, which helps you learn things faster and retain them better.
Mental Calm
In another study, researchers gave rats noopept and measured their brain waves—the patterns of electrical activity that move across your brain.
After taking noopept, rats showed significantly higher levels of alpha brain waves, which are the same brain waves you release during meditation.[9]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21414388/
Alpha waves are associated with calm focus, stress relief, and creativity.[10]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23890456/ Increasing alpha waves is a reliable way to access a Zen-like mental state, and based on animal research and anecdotal reports, taking noopept could help you settle into that mindset of relaxed focus.
Noopept Side Effects and Dosage
People who took noopept daily for 12 months experienced no meaningful side effects,[11]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22500312/ and anecdotal reports of side effects are rare. Noopept seems reasonably safe to take, although you may want to consult a doctor before experimenting with it or any other nootropic.
Standard dosage for noopept is between 10-30 mg per day, usually taken in the morning with food. You may want to start with 10 mg and see how you feel, then adjust the dose from there.
From a research perspective, noopept is still fairly new. However, it’s popular with a lot of people in the nootropic community, and robust animal research suggests that it may have benefits. You may want to give it a try and see if you feel a difference.
If you’d prefer nootropics that have more human research behind them, consider taking a nootropics quiz. It will help you find a nootropic stack that’s personalized to your brain and goals, and that can help with everything from mental focus to physical performance to more stable energy throughout the day.
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