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Alpha GPC boosts focus without hurting sleep
Focus without sleep loss
Caffeine and other stimulants that raise dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine work on the sympathetic arm of the autonomic nervous system, and caffeine in the eight to ten hours before sleep disrupts sleep even for people who can still fall asleep. Acetylcholine is involved in focus and to some extent energy, so alpha GPC is not a classic sympathetic stimulant. It has been shown to modestly increase REM sleep, which consolidates learning from preceding days and helps clear the emotional load of earlier days' memories.
The TMAO tradeoff
Choline carries a cost. More choline in the system can, after a few biochemical steps, raise circulating TMAO, which carries some cardiovascular risk when it stays high consistently over time. Fish and meat raise TMAO too, and alpha GPC does it pretty potently. One paper from a few years back suggested that people who use alpha GPC regularly at high dosages over long periods may have increased risk of stroke and other cardiovascular insults.
Garlic and diminishing effect
Some literature suggests that allicin, a compound in garlic, can inhibit part of TMAO production, much of which takes place in the gut. Taking alpha GPC very regularly also seems to give a diminished effect.
How does the gut turn choline into TMAO?
Gut bacteria break down choline and carnitine into a gas-like compound called trimethylamine. The liver then converts it into trimethylamine N-oxide, or TMAO, using the enzyme FMO3. Stanley Hazen's lab at the Cleveland Clinic reported in a 2011 paper in Nature that this pathway linked dietary choline to atherosclerosis in mice and to cardiovascular risk in people.
Why does REM sleep matter for emotions?
REM sleep is the one stage in which norepinephrine, a stress-related brain chemical, drops to very low levels. Matthew Walker and Els van der Helm proposed in a 2009 review in Psychological Bulletin that this chemical quiet lets the brain replay emotional memories without the original stress response attached. They called the idea overnight therapy. Studies of people who skip REM show stronger emotional reactions to earlier events.
How does acetylcholine relate to attention?
Acetylcholine is released across the cortex by neurons in the basal forebrain, including a cluster called the nucleus basalis. Its release increases when an animal is attending to a target, and it sharpens how cortical neurons respond to that target. Loss of nucleus basalis neurons is one of the hallmark changes of Alzheimer's disease.
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