Substance Index

Nootropics (also known as cognitive enhancers or "smart drugs") are a class of psychoactive substances that support mental performance, such as memory, focus, learning, and motivation. They usually have few side effects. Nootropics do not share one mechanism. Different nootropics work in different ways: some change neurotransmitter levels, some increase blood flow to the brain, and some protect brain cells. Their effects are therefore small and gradual, and they do not produce an obvious high. The term dates from 1972 and comes from the Greek noos ("mind") and tropein ("to turn"), which mean "mind-turning."