Effect of a Plant-Based Nootropic Supplement on Perceptual Decision-Making and Brain Network Interdependencies: A Randomised, Double-Blinded, and Placebo-Controlled Study – PubMed Black Hawk Supplements

BLACK HAWK: Best ashwagandha supplement for muscle strength

Published article

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that natural nootropics can improve overall brain network cohesion and energetic efficiency, computationally demonstrating the beneficial effects of natural nootropics on brain health. However, these effects could not be related to enhanced rapid perceptual decision-making performance in a healthy adult sample. Future research investigating these specific compounds as cognitive enhancers in healthy populations should focus on complex cognition in deliberative…
Black Hawk Supplements, best supplements in the UK

Effect of a Plant-Based Nootropic Supplement on Perceptual Decision-Making and Brain Network Interdependencies: A Randomised, Double-Blinded, and Placebo-Controlled Study - PubMed

Effect of a Plant-Based Nootropic Supplement on Perceptual Decision-Making and Brain Network Interdependencies: A Randomised, Double-Blinded, and Placebo-Controlled Study

David O’Reilly et al. Brain Sci. .

Abstract

Background: Natural nootropic compounds are evidenced to restore brain function in clinical and older populations and are purported to enhance cognitive abilities in healthy cohorts. This study aimed to provide neurocomputational insight into the discrepancies between the remarkable self-reports and growing interest in nootropics among healthy adults and the inconclusive performance-enhancing effects found in the literature.

Methods: Towards this end, we devised a randomised, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled study where participants performed a visual categorisation task prior to and following 60 days of supplementation with a plant-based nootropic, while electroencephalographic (EEG) signals were concurrently captured.

Results: We found that although no improvements in choice accuracy or reaction times were observed, the application of multivariate information-theoretic measures to the EEG source space showed broadband increases in similar and complementary interdependencies across brain networks of various spatial scales. These changes not only resulted in localised increases in the redundancy among brain network interactions but also more significant and widespread increases in synergy, especially within the delta frequency band.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that natural nootropics can improve overall brain network cohesion and energetic efficiency, computationally demonstrating the beneficial effects of natural nootropics on brain health. However, these effects could not be related to enhanced rapid perceptual decision-making performance in a healthy adult sample. Future research investigating these specific compounds as cognitive enhancers in healthy populations should focus on complex cognition in deliberative tasks (e.g., creativity, learning) and over longer supplementation durations.

Clinical trials registration number: NCT06689644.

Keywords: EEG; brain health; cognitive performance; information theory; nootropics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

This study was independently funded by Performance Lab Group®, who had no access to or influence on the presented data.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1

(A) Schematic representation of the experimental paradigm on a single-trial basis. Participants were instructed to classify noisy images of faces and cars, presented for 50 ms, by indicating their response with left and right key presses, respectively, within a 1.25 s deadline following stimulus presentation. Following an inter-stimulus interval (ISI; delay) of 100 ms, feedback was presented for 500 ms (correct, incorrect, or too slow in block capitals). (B) Sample face (top row) and car (bottom row) images at the two levels of visual phase coherence (i.e., 32.5% and 37.5%) used in the task.

Figure 2
Figure 2

(1) The choice reaction times (ms) at the pre- (light colour) and post-session (dark colour) of treatment and control groups for correct trials (A), easy trials (B), hard trials (C), car trials (D), and face trials (E) depicted as violin plots to illustrate the distribution of reaction times. (2) In the same order of trial types (A–E), the choice accuracies are displayed as the median and standard deviation of the percentage of total trials correct for both experimental groups at the pre- (light colour) and post- (dark colour) sessions.

Figure 3
Figure 3

An overview of the findings from the application of TC to the EEG source signals using the GSA. (A) The F-statistic representing the group differences for each frequency band and interaction order taken from ANCOVA models that controlled for baseline differences in TC values. No significant differences in favour of greater TC among the control group were found, so the treatment group results are illustrated only. Areas coloured white indicate no significant differences were found. The interquartile ranges of the most significant interaction order TC values for control (red) and treatment (blue) groups at the baseline (B.1) and follow-up (B.2) sessions are depicted as boxplots for each frequency band. The TC values illustrated were normalised by the interaction order for comparability. The gamma band contained no significantly different network dependencies and so was not illustrated here. (C) The most significantly different brain networks were also illustrated topographically, where blue-shaded areas highlighted the included EEG sources.

Figure 4
Figure 4

An overview of the findings from the application of DTC to the EEG source signals using the GSA. (A) The F-statistic representing the group differences for each frequency band and interaction order taken from ANCOVA models that controlled for baseline differences in TC values. No significant differences in favour of greater DTC among the control group were found, so the treatment group results are illustrated only. The interquartile ranges of the most significantly different network DTC values for control (red) and treatment (blue) groups at the baseline (B.1) and follow-up (B.2) sessions are depicted as boxplots for each frequency band. The DTC values illustrated were normalised by the interaction order for comparability. (C) The most significantly different brain networks were also illustrated topographically, where blue-shaded areas highlighted the included EEG sources.

Figure 5
Figure 5

An overview of the findings from the application of O-Information (Ω) to the EEG source signals using the GSA to find maximally discriminative networks of redundant interactions. (A) The F-statistic representing the group differences for each frequency band and interaction order taken from ANCOVA models that controlled for baseline differences in Ω values. No significant differences in favour of greater Ω among the control group were found, so the treatment group results are illustrated only. Areas coloured white indicate no significant differences were found. The interquartile ranges of the most significant interaction order Ω values for control (red) and treatment (blue) groups at the baseline (B.1) and follow-up (B.2) sessions are depicted as boxplots for each frequency band. The Ω values illustrated were normalised by the interaction order for comparability. (C) The most significantly different brain networks were also illustrated topographically, where blue-shaded areas highlighted the included EEG sources.

Figure 6
Figure 6

An overview of the findings from the application of O-Information (Ω) to the EEG source signals using the GSA to find maximally discriminative networks of synergistic interactions. (A) The F-statistic representing the group differences for each frequency band and interaction order taken from ANCOVA models that controlled for baseline differences in Ω values. No significant differences in favour of lower Ω among the control group were found, so the treatment group results are illustrated only. Areas coloured white indicate no significant differences were found. The interquartile ranges of the most significant interaction order Ω values for control (red) and treatment (blue) groups at the baseline (B.1) and follow-up (B.2) sessions are depicted as boxplots for each frequency band. As the system of EEG sources for participants was strongly redundancy-dominated across sessions, the Ω values illustrated are positive but demonstrate a significant reduction in the treatment cohort (i.e., increased synergy). Boxplots for theta, alpha, and beta bands are not illustrated, as no significant networks were identified within these ranges. The Ω values illustrated were normalised by the interaction order for comparability. (C) The most significantly different brain networks were also illustrated topographically, where blue-shaded areas highlighted the included EEG sources.

References

    1. Malík M., Tlustoš P. Nootropics as cognitive enhancers: Types, dosage and side effects of smart drugs. Nutrients. 2022;14:3367. doi: 10.3390/nu14163367. – DOI – PMC – PubMed
    1. Sharif S., Guirguis A., Fergus S., Schifano F. The use and impact of cognitive enhancers among university students: A systematic review. Brain Sci. 2021;11:355. doi: 10.3390/brainsci11030355. – DOI – PMC – PubMed
    1. Cavaco A.M., Ribeiro J., Nørgaard L.S. Exploring the use of cognitive enhancement substances among Portuguese university students. Explor. Res. Clin. Soc. Pharm. 2022;5:100097. doi: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2021.100097. – DOI – PMC – PubMed
    1. Schifano F., Catalani V., Sharif S., Napoletano F., Corkery J.M., Arillotta D., Fergus S., Vento A., Guirguis A. Benefits and harms of ‘smart drugs’(nootropics) in healthy individuals. Drugs. 2022;82:633–647. doi: 10.1007/s40265-022-01701-7. – DOI – PubMed
    1. Zaami S., Rinaldi R., Bersani G., Del Rio A., Ciallella C., Marinelli E. Nootropics use in the workplace. Psychiatric and ethical aftermath towards the new frontier of bioengineering. Eur. Rev. Med. Pharmacol. Sci. 2020;24:2129–2139. – PubMed

Grants and funding

BLACK HAWK: Best lions mane supplement for teens

Read the original publication:

Effect of a Plant-Based Nootropic Supplement on Perceptual Decision-Making and Brain Network Interdependencies: A Randomised, Double-Blinded, and Placebo-Controlled Study – PubMed