Imagine being able to remember up to 2x what you normally would after reading a book, going to class, or even a meeting. Regardless of your profession, this could likely benefit you somehow.
Since students are formally tested, the impact of increased memory retention is immediately rewarding, but most people would like to be better at remembering names, numbers, facts, or processes. An emerging nootropic, PRL-8-53 is starting to receive more attention and the study results promise significantly improved memory, especially in older groups.
PRL-8-53: What is it?
The surge in nootropic popularity over the past several years must have inspired someone to scour the archives, because while PRL-8-53 is only now gaining attention , it’s existed for some time . In fact, PRL-8-53 has existed since the 1970’s, when Dr Nikolaus Hansl first synthesized the nootropic at Creighton University . While PRL-8-53’s mechanism of action is still unknown, scientists do know is that it displays cholinergic properties, which are known to improve short-term memory. This is becauseCcholine is seen as “fuel for the brain” and thus widely used as a nootropic supplement
PRL-8-53 Research
Alternative Nootropics
While PRL 8-53’s popularity is on the rise, it is still hard to find. If you are tired of searching, try some other favored, better researched nootropics.
Piracetam: This is the prototype of the racetam family. As it is also the weakest racetam, it is a good nootropic for beginners.
Noopept: If you are an experienced nootropic user, you may want to consider noopept. It is 1000x more potent than piracetam and is an excellent cognitive enhancer.
CDP Choline: Racetams can sometimes cause headaches as they increase choline uptake. To avoid this, supplement with a quality choline source. Plus, choline has cognitive benefits as well.
To date, the first (and only) human study to be performed on PRL-8-53 was in 1978. After successful animal testing, PRL-8-53 was deemed safe for human test subjects.
Researchers began with a study of 47 healthy people. These subjects were given 5mg of PRL-8-53 or a placebo and then given a word memory test. They were then re-tested at 24 hours after the initial dose and again at one week. PRL-8-53 improved recall at the 24 hour and one week mark.
Individuals who scored very poorly on the initial test as well as subjects over the age of 30 saw the biggest improvements. The 30+ subjects experienced memory improvement of 236–252% over baseline at the one week mark.
Nearly all the published information on PRL-8-53 originated with Dr Hansl and the original patent holders, Pacific Research Labs (hence the acronym PRL). Aside from the human study, Dr Hansl looked at learning enhancement in animals as well as potential toxicity of the nootropic.
Who is PRL-8-53 for?
As mentioned above, many people would like to have a better memory, so PRL-8-53 is beneficial to nearly anyone. However, there are a couple groups which could benefit the most:
- Older populations. It’s widely believed that memory can start to degrade as you age , which may be the case as the research shows that the age 30+ group benefited the most.
- Individuals with a poor memory. Most individuals with a poor memory could benefit greatly from PRL-8-53. The research doesn’t specify, but it could be speculated that individuals with learning disabilities or other impairments could be included here.
- Students. A college or post-grad student knows that every little bit of memory retention helps.
One PRL8-53 user shared their anecdotal experience:
“I’ve been taking 20 mg per day for the last 3 days. There haven’t been any notable changes, positive or negative, except for one big difference.
I am easily remembering, without effort or error, numbers that I always had to reference from written notes in the past. The first time this happened I was talking on the phone with someone and needed to give them an 8 digit number that previously I have always had to look up in my notes. I was astonished when I just spoke it to her while I was still looking for it in my notes. There have been about 6 instances of this instant recall since I started.”
The web is sprinkled with similar experiences and reports of users having improvements in remembering short strings of numbers and even experiences that happened well beyond what would be considered “short term” memory.
Other PRL-8-53 Experiences
Redditor, Bukujutsu, experienced massive cognitive, specifically working memory, gains from intranasal administration. The post details how they measured the gains using a cognitive test from cambridgebrainsciences.com.
Caution is needed if one were to follow this administration. Taking this chemical intranasally burns. However, Bukujutsu mitigated this by removing chloramine via 1mg of potassium metabisulfite. And also by adding salt to make the solution similar to the less irritating nasal saline solutions found in stores. The poster also mentioned trying rectal administration, known as “plugging”, but mentioned that nasal administration delivered more cognitive gains.
The post was from over two years ago. Although the spacial self ordered search test used in the post is no longer available, there is a replacement test called the token search test.
Bukujutsu claimed their brain felt distinctly different than usual and that they experience increased blood pressure/flow around the prefrontal cortex.
Another redditor (user account deleted) reported similar improvements in their working memory. They claim to solve problems extremely fast, their working memory usually lags behind. For example, they aren’t great with directions and lose their train of thought during conversations.
Their dosage consisted of 10-20mg of PRL-8-53. After taking this amount, their working memory was improved to the point where it felt effortless to recall data during math problems, along with recalling information from publications. During a lecture, they could “replay” the last 20-30 seconds in their head.
An interesting note: In each of the above accounts, the user experience either a “massive increase” or “astounding” results to their working memory. When I searched for anecdotal effects due to the lack of human trials, I didn’t target specific effects. But due to the correlation in anecdotes, this is the closest we’re going to get to human evidence for PRL-8-53.
PRL-8-53 Dosage and Toxicity
In the published human study, subjects were given 5mg of the nootropic., This is a good starting dose to gauge effectiveness; however, as seen in the comment above, much higher doses are commonplace amongst users. Unfortunately, the lack of research around this compound makes it difficult to identify a standard recommended dose.
Fortunately for those looking to experiment, the substance appears to be relatively non-toxic. In animal subjects, very high doses had hypotensive effects and depressed motor activity, but no toxicity or side effects were reported in the human-based study. As always, it’s best to start small and gradually increase the amount while beginning use independent of other nootropics. That way you can better see where your memory enhancement improvements are coming from.
PRL 8 53 Sources
- http://www.scribd.com/doc/167830130/PRL-8-53-Enhanced-Learning-and-Subsequent-Retention-in-Humans-as-a-Result-of-Low-Oral-Doses-of-New-Psychotropic-Agent
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/418433
- http://examine.com/supplements/PRL-8-53/
- http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF01934822
- http://www.google.com/patents/US3792048
- http://www.jstor.org/stable/20385434
