Can DMAE Really Help Treat ADD and ADHD?

DMAE is the latest health supplement that has been advertised as an effective natural treatment for ADD and ADHD, but does it really work?

DMAE is the acronym for the supplement Dimethylaminoethanol which is a compound that actually occurs naturally throughout the body.

DMAE has several noted roles in the brain, but one of its effects is to increase the amount of acetylcholine available to your neurons. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that seems to be involved with the parts of the brain that control attention, focus and the ability to ignore distractions.

If this link holds up under scientific scrutiny, then using DMAE for ADD and ADHD could prove advantageous for anyone wary of pharmaceutical smart drugs and their high risk of side effects.

DMAE

Cholinergic Supplement

Focus

Brain Health

Anti- Aging

How It Works:

• Found to enhance mental concentration
• Supports memory by boosting acetylcholine
• Neuroprotective with anti-aging effects

Dosage:

Between 300 - 2,000 mg per day

Safety:

Rated Possibly Safe

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DMAE and ADD/ADHD

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) both involve problems relating to inattention. ADHD adds in hyperactivity and impulsive action symptoms.

The two terms are often used interchangeably by the general public, though the difference can be quite marked in some individuals. With regards to DMAE, however, both disorders receive fair treatment because the benefit derived from DMAE is specifically related to improving attention and increasing the ability to focus.

In the 1970s, a few studies indicated that DMAE may be beneficial in helping children with (what was then called) hyperactivity disorders. These types of impulsive and disruptive behaviors disorders are now commonly known as ADHD.

Many people seeking non-pharmaceutical alternatives for treating attention disorders take DMAE. The primary question most people have with regards to the supplement is whether it actually offers any real benefit to those with ADD or ADHD.

Is DMAE a natural alternative to Ritalin or Adderall? How does it work in the brain to help with attention and focus?

DMAE Research Studies

Two studies conducted in the 1970s indicated that Deanol, the pharmaceutical name for DMAE, supplementation may have been effective at reducing the disruptive behavior of children while also improving their ability to focus.

The children being tested were considered “disruptive” and as having learning disabilities. Those given DMAE supplements showed significant increases on test scores. This information suggests DMAE bitartrate may help a child’s focus and their ability to complete tasks given to them.

Drug makers were interested in the pharmaceutical prospects of the substance, but as DMAE is readily available in salmon and sardines, the product was eventually packaged as a nutritional supplement and is widely available without a prescription.

More recent studies have shown DMAE is not effective for treating patients with Alzheimer’s disease or Huntington’s disease. However, a 1995 study done at Duke University found that rats given DMAE showed improvements in their working memory performance.

DMAE and Your Brain

The most frequent DMAE claim, for nootropic purposes, is that it improves memory, concentration and intellectual function. It is said to do this because it acts as a precursor to acetylcholine, an especially important neurotransmitter used in the process of working memory encoding and consolidation.

When someone does not have adequate amounts of acetylcholine within their brain, the resulting symptoms include an inability to maintain focus.

As of this date, research has not established a definite link between DMAE and acetylcholine production, which is why some DMAE study findings continue to be controversial.

Anecdotal evidence provided by users of DMAE sometimes clashes with scientific studies, indicating an obvious need for additional research to be done. The primary problem with DMAE, with relation to its ability to improve focus or other cognitive abilities, is its weak capacity for crossing the blood-brain barrier.

DMAE may provide large amounts of choline as an acetylcholine precursor, but as long as a majority of it is unable to cross the blood-brain barrier, it is essentially unable to contribute to the conversion process for acetylcholine.

There are a few supplements which are known to be effective at crossing the blood-brain barrier and thereby are more bioavailable for conversion into acetylcholine, as compared to DMAE.

Centrophenoxine, for example, which is derived from DMAE, is able to cross the blood-brain barrier in large quantities, making it a better choice for nootropic and smart drug users.

Centrophenoxine, Alpha GPC and Citicoline

Supplementing with a good Choline source can provide your brain with necessary materials for acetylcholine production. This is one of the common targets for nootropic users, not only for improving symptoms of ADD or ADHD, but to enhance memory, improve learning ability, elevate mood and boost intellectual capacity.

Centrophenoxine (the DMAE derivative), Alpha GPC and Citicoline are the three best supplements for providing the brain with materials for conversion to acetylcholine.

Centrophenoxine may be the most highly bioavailable among the three, though there are some side effects if taken in higher doses or when combining it with other medications or supplements. Alpha GPC is highly bioavialable with few known side effects.

Citicoline, though third on this list, remains one of the best bioavailable sources for Choline supplementation. Though using DMAE for ADD and ADHD may have some benefits, at this time, the findings are inconclusive.

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