drtbear1967
Musclechemistry Board Certified Member
theguerillachemist
I get a lot of questions about nootropics and since they all increase choline/acetylcholine levels why can't you just take choline(bitartrate)? The answer lies in the image here: A is Dimethylaminoethanol and B is Choline. Choline is a positively charged molecule(4 bonds to the Nitrogen) where DMAE is a neutral molecule. The positive charge affects the polarity of the molecule and makes it impossible to cross the Blood-Brain Barrier(BBB). In order to cross the BBB, a cell membrane that is mostly non polar(fat soluble), the molecule itself needs to be as non polar as possible. The positive charge on choline and acetylcholine make the molecule very polar(water soluble) and thus cannot cross the BBB. DMAE, however is more lipid soluble and once it crosses the BBB it reacts with SAMe(methyl donor) to form choline, and then acetylcholine. If you see products containing choline bitartrate, steer clear as that will have very limited conversion to acetylcholine. Look for DMAE, and in more expensive sources like alpha GPC and CDP choline. In #skywalk by @myoblox, it has 800mg of alpha GPC. This is an exceptionally high dose and you will definitely feel the effects from that.
I get a lot of questions about nootropics and since they all increase choline/acetylcholine levels why can't you just take choline(bitartrate)? The answer lies in the image here: A is Dimethylaminoethanol and B is Choline. Choline is a positively charged molecule(4 bonds to the Nitrogen) where DMAE is a neutral molecule. The positive charge affects the polarity of the molecule and makes it impossible to cross the Blood-Brain Barrier(BBB). In order to cross the BBB, a cell membrane that is mostly non polar(fat soluble), the molecule itself needs to be as non polar as possible. The positive charge on choline and acetylcholine make the molecule very polar(water soluble) and thus cannot cross the BBB. DMAE, however is more lipid soluble and once it crosses the BBB it reacts with SAMe(methyl donor) to form choline, and then acetylcholine. If you see products containing choline bitartrate, steer clear as that will have very limited conversion to acetylcholine. Look for DMAE, and in more expensive sources like alpha GPC and CDP choline. In #skywalk by @myoblox, it has 800mg of alpha GPC. This is an exceptionally high dose and you will definitely feel the effects from that.
