10 replies to this topic

[Dorho]

Well first of all, a definition for working memory is needed. What I mean by a good working memory is the ability to store and manipulate information in the short-term memory, for example calculating stuff or automatically summarizing long chapters while reading.

This ability often associated with fluid intelligence has always been a downside for me and it has been long argued that it is primarily determined by genes, which is why I haven't tried to improve it. Recently though, I have learnt that working memory can be enhanced quite a bit through practice. I have found dual-n-back task especially useful: http://dual-n-back.com/nback.html

I have read from Wikipedia that working memory training leads to measurable density changes for cortical dopamine neuroreceptors in test persons, and this lends me to believe that there might be some nootropic substances that help to improve the working memory, either through the aforementioned way or some other mechanism.

Have you experienced a boost in the operational short-term memory through the use of any nootropic substance? If so, then please share your experiences with us. I would also welcome suggestions about nootropics improving short-term and long-term memory, because having a great operational memory and a poor imprinting memory isn't very useful. And if you have some working memory improving games or exercises besides the dual-n-back-task, please mention them here.

My own experiences:

I'm currently using mirtazapine, which is a prescription drug. It has been shown to help rats finding food in a maze in a shorter time (http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/10817523 ) and I think it works a bit for me too. Nicotine is also useful, I'd say. In addition, I use Rhodiola rosea and acetyl-l-carnitine for their energizing effects.

I intend to start using vinpocetine and piracetam.

Edited by Dorho, 20 October 2009 - 08:22 AM.

[kassem23]

This sounds really interesting. I'll keep an eye on this thread. Thanks for starting it.

[Johann]

This sounds really interesting. I'll keep an eye on this thread. Thanks for starting it.

Dorho, what is that link about?  I want to do it if it is a good memory enhancer.  





I use nicotine (1 mg a day) and Galantamine 4 mg a day with 600 mg Aniracetam and 500 mg choline bitartrate.  My short term and intermediate range memory has become so enhanced that if I don't watch it, things can get out of hand.  One day I decided to take 8 mg of Galantamine and just could not let go of facts and details.  

Edited by Johann, 20 October 2009 - 12:05 PM.

[Dorho]

Dorho, what is that link about?  I want to do it if it is a good memory enhancer.

You mean the dual-n-back task? It's a task with very simple rules. One must remember n previous spatial and auditory stimuli, auditory stimulus being a pronounced letter and spatial stimulus the place of the square in the grid: in dual-2-back you must remember two previous stimuli, in dual-3-back three previous stimuli etc. Here's a downloadable version of Dual-n-back with a tutorial on how the game works (haven't tried): http://brainworkshop.sourceforge.net/

According to a study published in PNAS in 2008, training the dual-n-back task improves fluid intelligence: http://www.pnas.org/...5.full.pdf html

I use nicotine (1 mg a day) and Galantamine 4 mg a day with 600 mg Aniracetam and 500 mg choline bitartrate.  My short term and intermediate range memory has become so enhanced that if I don't watch it, things can get out of hand.  One day I decided to take 8 mg of Galantamine and just could not let go of facts and details.  

That sounds very interesting, thanks. Unfortunately, galantamine is very difficult to acquire here where I live, but I'll have to ask about that.

Edited by Dorho, 20 October 2009 - 02:18 PM.

[alexd]

Modafinal

Bacoa, this takes about 4 weeks to ramp up.

[Dorho]

Modafinal

Bacoa, this takes about 4 weeks to ramp up.

Yeah, Modafinil really clarifies thinking I've heard. Thanks for the tip about Bacopa too. I found one study conserning Bacopa's effects on working memory: http://researchbank....tory/swin:10391 Might try that at some point.

[drmz]

Work on your concentration, that saves a lot of bandwidth which can be used to optimize your working memory. Working memory performance goes down when you have to do two tasks at once.

[FunkOdyssey]

Have you experienced a boost in the operational short-term memory through the use of any nootropic substance?

Pycnogenol works for older people:

J Psychopharmacol. 2008 Jul;22(5):553-62.
An examination of the effects of the antioxidant Pycnogenol on cognitive performance, serum lipid profile, endocrinological and oxidative stress biomarkers in an elderly population.
Ryan J, Croft K, Mori T, Wesnes K, Spong J, Downey L, Kure C, Lloyd J, Stough C.

National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM)-Collaborative Centre for the Study of Natural Medicines and Neurocognition in Health and Disease, Brain Sciences Institute, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia.

The study examines the effects of the antioxidant flavonoid Pycnogenol on a range of cognitive and biochemical measures in healthy elderly individuals. The study used a double-blind, placebo-controlled, matched-pair design, with 101 elderly participants (60-85 years) consuming a daily dose of 150 mg of Pycnogenol for a three-month treatment period. Participants were assessed at baseline, then at 1, 2, and 3 months of the treatment. The control (placebo) and Pycnogenol groups were matched by age, sex, body mass index, micronutrient intake, and intelligence. The cognitive tasks comprised measures of attention, working memory, episodic memory, and psychomotor performance. The biological measures comprised levels of clinical hepatic enzymes, serum lipid profile, human growth hormone, and lipid peroxidation products. Statistically significant interactions were found for memory-based cognitive variables and lipid peroxidation products, with the Pycnogenol group displaying improved working memory and decreased concentrations of F2-isoprostanes relative to the control group.

PMID: 18701642

[Dorho]

Work on your concentration, that saves a lot of bandwidth which can be used to optimize your working memory. Working memory performance goes down when you have to do two tasks at once.

I think I already have a pretty good ability to concentrate. I am also highly analytical in thinking. Thanks to those two characteristics, I was able to get very good grades from my finals.

Now that I have some experiences from working life and tougher studies, the demand for a good working memory seems to get higher, and working memory is really my particular bottleneck that I would like to improve as much as possible. Sometimes many tasks have to be done simultaneously, and preferably very fast.

Pycnogenol works for older people

That's nice for older people. And apparently some of modafinil's positive effects may be limited to people with low IQ. That's good for us low IQ people

[Healthy56]

Work on your concentration, that saves a lot of bandwidth which can be used to optimize your working memory. Working memory performance goes down when you have to do two tasks at once.

I think I already have a pretty good ability to concentrate. I am also highly analytical in thinking. Thanks to those two characteristics, I was able to get very good grades from my finals.

Now that I have some experiences from working life and tougher studies, the demand for a good working memory seems to get higher, and working memory is really my particular bottleneck that I would like to improve as much as possible. Sometimes many tasks have to be done simultaneously, and preferably very fast.

Pycnogenol works for older people

That's nice for older people. And apparently some of modafinil's positive effects may be limited to people with low IQ. That's good for us low IQ people

I'm not all that old, but I've tried pycnogenol and don't seem to get much out of it. It's advertised as being for just about any condition you can name -- I don't "get" how a supplement marketer can assume that the same person who wants mental clarity would buy a product was for arthritis, etc.

My experience with paracatam has improved. I'm not falling asleep on a mid-sized dose (2000 mg) any longer. I've been using Mind Body and Spirit Rhodiola, and I do get a lot out of that -- probably more than the paracatam.

Has anyone here uncovered a way to totally MASK the horrible, horrible flavor of paracatam?

[Dorho]

A medicine named piribedil improves working memory, at least for healthy elderly high-capacity span subjects. See http://cat.inist.fr/...cpsidt=18420499 Piribedil is a D2 and D3 receptor agonist.

Has anyone here uncovered a way to totally MASK the horrible, horrible flavor of paracatam?

You could cap the powder yourself or buy cheap piracetam pills from Docsimon