Alpha GPC And Improved Memory
Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine, or simply Alpha GPC, is one precursor of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter ubiquitous in the nervous system. It is one of the best known memory enhancers that are at the same time in use to help with cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Also called choline alfoscerate, it is a derivative of lecithin, a phospholipid naturally occurring in soy and other plants. It is one form of the water-soluble essential nutrient choline, an organic compound that plays an important in cell signaling and cholinergic neurotransmission. There is scientific consensus that choline reserves in the human body dwindle in number as we age, leading to a decreased neurological activity in most adults. Fortunately, choline supplements such as Alpha GPC have been reported to have a positive effect on the physiological functions of this organic compound.
Maintains Choline Levels
Acetylcholine is an endogenous substance produced by the body from choline and acetic acid, and Alpha GPC, being a natural choline compound, makes an ideal forerunner of acetylcholine. There have been studies that point to the efficacy of Alpha GPC in crossing the blood-brain barrier in the nervous system, effectively delivering healthy amounts of choline to the brain. While an excess of acetylcholine can be detrimental to the neuromuscular junction, the synapse responsible for muscle contraction, there is an enzyme that converts it to its inactive metabolites, choline and acetic acid. On the other hand, a shortfall in choline levels directly affects the neurological functions implicating acetylcholine. In fact, high levels of choline are a good indicator of neural health, especially in infants. Since the body’s ability to biosynthesize choline takes a turn for the worse in adults, Alpha GPC offers a solution.
Increases Cholinergic Activity
The availability of choline influences mental health because it is a constituent of acetylcholine. There is a network in the nervous system that largely uses acetylcholine as the sole neurotransmitter. The presence of acetylcholine in both the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system is so widespread that it was the first neurotransmitter to be identified. In contrast to other neurotransmitters which often play specific roles in the nervous system, acetylcholine manages a larger neurological realm defined by one common cholinergic activity. This includes the movement of muscles as influenced by the peripheral nervous system and the formation of memories in the central nervous system. Alpha GPC works on the principle of increasing cholinergic activity in the central nervous system by crossing the blood-brain barrier, resulting in improved sustained attention.
Alpha GPC and Brain Function
Enhances Cognitive Function
Alpha GPC is believed to affect our responsiveness to stimuli with different cognitive requirements, which is referred to as mental flexibility. The ability to efficiently switch from one task to another can be quite a feat, but research shows that high levels of choline may enable the human mind to work wonders. Indeed cognitive function relies on the supply of chemicals needed by the brain, and two of these chemicals are choline and acetylcholine, both of which are influenced by Alpha GPC.