Acetylcholine Supplements – A Review of the 3 Different Types

Trying to find the best Acetylcholine supplements to use?

If you have been researching nootropics online, you are probably well aware of how important the Acetylcholine neurotransmitter is.

Acetylcholine is the chief neurotransmitter in the brain responsible for learning, memory, thought, and synaptic plasticity. Increasing levels of Acetylcholine can result in improved perception, concentration, memory recall, verbal fluency and better overall cognitive function.

Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders related to cognitive decline are also believed to be linked to low levels of Acetylcholine.

As you can see, ensuring that you have proper Acetylcholine levels can play a big part in boosting brain power. However, as much as 90% of the population of the USA is believed to not get enough of the acetylcholine building blocks in their diet.

How do you increase the amount of acetylcholine in your brain? While there is no such thing as a pure Acetylcholine supplement, there are other supplements that you can take to raise levels of this neurotransmitter? This review will help you pick the best Acetylcholine supplement to use.

Acetylcholine Precursors

Cholinergic Supplement

Memory

Brain Health

Cognition

How It Works:

• Supports memory and synaptic plasticity
• Raises acetylcholine levels
• Promotes brain health and focus

Dosage:

Varies Depending on Supplement

Safety:

Varies Depending on Supplement

Top Acetylcholine Precursors* ❯

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Acetylcholine Supplements

There are three basic types of Acetylcholine supplements that you can use as nootropics.

The first type – acetylcholine agonists – is epitomized by Piracetam and other racetams. These supplements essentially stimulate receptors in your brain that cause more acetylcholine to be released.

The second type of supplement includes precursor Choline sources and Acetylcholine intermediates. This second grouping includes Choline Bitartrate, Alpha GPC, and CDP Choline – all of which allow for greater production of Acetylcholine in the brain.

The third family of supplements are Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Acetylcholinesterase is a naturally occurring enzyme which causes the breakdown of Acetylcholine. By inhibiting its production, you can increase the amount of acetylcholine neurotransmitter present in the brain.

Acetylcholine Agonists

Many of the most popular nootropics are Acetylcholine agonists or cholinergic supplements. Piracetam, Aniracetam, Pramiracetam, Oxiraetam and Noopept all work this way – stimulating your acetylcholine receptors to release more of the stored neurotransmitter.

When you have higher levels of Acetylcholine, it is easier for your brain to form new connections between neurons, to store new memories and to recall old memories. Higher concentration of acetylcholine in the cerebral cortex has also been shown to increase attention span, focus, neuroplasticity and communication between the left and right hemispheres of your brain.

Because of their unique mechanism of action, Acetylcholine agonists are the most effective at increasing levels of this neurotransmitter’s activity in the brain.

Choline and Acetylcholine Supplements

What happens if you use a supplement like Piracetam to stimulate the release of Acetylcholine, but your stores of this neurotransmitter are too low to meet the demand?

This is a common problem if you do not get enough Acetylcholine precursors in your diet, leading to unwanted side effects like headaches. You can easily solve this problem by using a Choline supplement or Acetylcholine intermediary.

These nootropics basically allow more acetylcholine to be produced in the brain by supplying the raw materials of this neurotransmitter. Below are five of the most common Choline and Acetylcholine supplements:

Phosphatidylcholine and Soy Lecithin: Phosphatidylcholine is a choline source found in many foods such as eggs, meat, fish and dairy. Lecithin comes from soy products and provides a small amount of choline which your body can then convert into acetylcholine. Unfortunately, neither of these sources is very concentrated which is why so much of the population is choline deficient.

Choline Bitartrate and Citrate: If you buy choline supplements online, you are usually getting Choline Bitartrate or Choline Citrate – salt forms of this compound. These supplements are favored because they are very cheap and they do ultimately lead to increased levels of acetylcholine, but they are not very strong and often do not provide much nootropic effect on their own.

CDP Choline or Citicoline: This Acetylcholine intermediary is more potent than the choline salts because it has better penetration of the blood-brain barrier. That means that it causes more acetylcholine to be produced in the brain that other choline supplements. It is also known for being very safe and has few associated side effects.

Alpha GPC: This is a powerful nootropic in its own right, but it is predominantly used as an Acetylcholine supplement in stacks with Racetams.

Alpha GPC actually breaks down into Acetylcholine, making it a direct precursor. It is known to improve memory function, make it easier to learn new concepts and it keeps your brain healthy by relieving oxidative stress.

Centrophenoxine: Centrophenoxine is another potent acetylcholine supplement though less is known about its specific mechanism of action. It has been well documented to increase levels of acetylcholine in the brain and it has synergistic effects with Piracetam, Aniracetam, and Oxiracetam.

Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors

The third type of Acetylcholine nootropic supplement is an Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Acetylcholinesterase is an enzyme that your body produces to naturally break down excessive quantities of the acetylcholine neurotransmitter.

However, sometimes this enzyme needs to be suppressed to improve your brain function. An Acetylcholinesterase Antagonist will actually block the production of this enzyme, preventing it from breaking down neurotransmitters in the brain.

One of the best supplements that provides this mechanism of action is Huperzine A – a naturally derived nootropic that is currently being researched as a treatment for Alzheimer’s patients. In fact, most Alzheimer’s medications work in this same way by limiting the release of Acetylcholinesterase.

All of the above listed Acetylcholine agonists, Choline supplements, and Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are available as health supplements only, and the FDA has not approved them as drugs to prevent or treat any conditions.

How to Pick the Best Acetylcholine Supplement?

Now that you are familiar with all three types, which acetylcholine supplement should you use to get the best effects? The answer might surprise you: many people use all three of these supplements together in a nootropic stack to get the strongest results.

It is very common these days to stack Piracetam, Alpha GPC, and Huperzine A together to ensure Acetylcholine levels are as high as possible. You can use any number of variations on this stack such as a combination of Noopept, Citicoline and Huperzine or Pramiracetam, Centrophenoxine, and Huperzine.

Which one of these nootropic stacks you use depends upon your personal goals, but as long as you have one supplement from each of the three categories listed above you will see optimal effects.

It is always recommended that before beginning any new supplements or stacks that you speak with your doctor to determine the best dosage for your needs and determine if there may be any negative interactions with any existing supplements or medications. Try an Acetylcholine Supplement Stack the next time you shop for nootropics online and leave us your thoughts below!

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