Journal of Clinical Toxicology
Open Access

Abstract

Nootropics: Clinical and Analytical Toxicology Review of The Cognitive Enhancement Among Healthy Individuals

Rawan Eskandarani*

The term nootropic refers to a group of substances that are used to treat deficits of cognition. Nootropic substances, or cognitive enhancers, have been used therapeutically for the treatment of certain diseases that affect cognition, memory, and mental function. Lately, the use of these substances has been growing widely among young and healthy individuals seeking cognitive enhancement. Some of these substances have been advertised as ‘smart drugs’ or ‘legal highs.’ The safety profile and benefit for those substances are not fully established and mostly are extrapolated from clinical therapeutic use. The wide availability, lack of regulation, and the increasing demand for those enhancers make it important to categorize them, recognize their mechanisms of actions and possible side effects that can be encountered. In this review, we want to emphasize the importance of further studies and clinical trials for the benefit and safety profile of those dietary supplements.

Published Date: 2021-06-14; Received Date: 2021-05-24