I started today asking "what can I remove from my stack?" And of course, now I am probably adding to my stack: researchgate.net/publicatio...
As close as I can tell, it looks like the dosing was 20 mg dissolved in saline, so I'm guessing they injected it.
Background: The pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is complex; it includes mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. Notably, Toll-like receptors (TLRs) may activate inflammatory or anti-inflammatory responses in Parkinson's disease. Vinpocetine has been tested as an anti-inflammatory in both animal and in vitro research. Thus, it is important to test whether the anti-inflammatory properties of vinpocetine may have a protective effect in PD patients.
Methods: Eighty-nine Parkinson's disease patients and 42 healthy controls were recruited for this study. All patients were randomly assigned to either the traditional therapy group (T PD group, n = 46) or the vinpocetine group (V PD group, n = 43), in a blinded manner. Both treatments were administered for 14 days.
Results: Administration of vinpocetine reduced mRNA levels of TLR2/4, as well as protein levels of the downstream signalling molecules, MyD88 and NF-κB; moreover, it lowered the expression levels of serum inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α and MCP-1. Notably, vinpocetine increased TLR3 mRNA levels, as well as protein levels of the downstream signalling molecules TRIF-β and IRF-3, and serum levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and IL-8. Furthermore, vinpocetine produced a robust increase in the Mini Mental State Examination score, compared to that achieved by using levodopa therapy.
Conclusion: Vinpocetine treatment may exhibit anti-inflammatory activity and alleviate cognitive impairment.
In summary, the present study has uncovered an antiinflammatory role for vinpocetine in the treatment of PD. Vinpocetine regulates TLR2/3/4 mRNA and protein expression; moreover, it modulates downstream signalling proteins
and cytokines. However, there is no stable or clear cause-effect relationship between its anti-inflammatory action and cognitive enhancement. Thus, vinpocetine is a good candidate for future therapy in PD patients.
A drug called Vinpocetine (a phosphodiesterase 1 inhibitor) was the only phosphodiesterase inhibitor that reduced alpha synuclein toxicity. Vinpocetine is a synthetic alkaloid derived from the periwinkle plant. It is synthesised from a molecule called ‘vincamine‘.
Vinpocetine is dirt cheap at SwansonVitamins.com
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HI PARK WHERE DID YOU get this supplement info first and when did you first start taking it? Are you doing this for your heart or is there another benefit
Hello park_bear, do you have an idiot's guide to making the broccoli tea? The link on Albert's page is broken: Pilot study of broccoli seed tea by Parkinson’s Patients”
This article is now available in PDF format on the Documents page
consumption of vinpocetine is associated with adverse reproductive effects – in other words, vinpocetine may cause a miscarriage or harm fetal development.
"Vinpocetine interacts with medications that slow blood clotting, including aspirin, ibuprofen, warfarin, heparin, naproxen, and others. Taking vinpocetine in combination with those drugs may increase bruising and bleeding and is not recommended."
Oh no. I take fish oil, and I cook with plenty of turmeric. I just ordered 120 capsules of vinpocetine. Now I'm worried about whether I should be worried, or if I can take this supplement.
Hmmm... Well I'm certainly glad that I'm at least aware of potential problems!
EDIT: Here's a decent write-up about side-effects. Definitely important to read!
I think I read that article when I looked at it a while back. I decided it was not worth trying, for myself. The blood thinning properties definitely put me off, especially having balance issues where I occasionally fall or smack into things.
So I took Vinpocetine yesterday, 2 doses of 30 mg, which put me at the high end (or over) the recommended dosing). Woke up feeling nauseous. Then I read Elliot's and Julie's warning and article verywellhealth.com/the-bene...
I'm gong to shelve this one for now.
Possible Side Effects
Side effects of vinpocetine may include indigestion, nausea, dizziness, anxiety, facial flushing, insomnia, headache, drowsiness, and dry mouth. Vinpocetine may also cause a temporary drop in blood pressure (hypotension).
Vinpocetine has raised concerns in recent years following reports that the drug may cause immune suppression. One such case resulted in agranulocytosis, a potentially dangerous drop in white blood cells that leaves you at high risk of serious infections.
Because of this, vinpocetine should never be used in organ recipients, people with advanced HIV infection, or those on immune suppressive drugs (including chemotherapy).
Vinpocetine may slow blood clotting and should be avoided in people with bleeding disorders or who take anticoagulants like Coumadin (warfarin) or anti-platelet drugs like Plavix (clopidogrel). Vinpocetine should not be taken two weeks before or after surgery to reduce the risk of excessive bleeding.
Due to the lack of long-term safety research, vinpocetine should not be used in children, pregnant women, or nursing mothers.
Side effects of vinpocetine may include indigestion, nausea, dizziness, anxiety, facial flushing, insomnia, headache, drowsiness, and dry mouth. Vinpocetine may also cause a temporary drop in blood pressure (hypotension).
Vinpocetine has raised concerns in recent years following reports that the drug may cause immune suppression. One such case resulted in agranulocytosis, a potentially dangerous drop in white blood cells that leaves you at high risk of serious infections.
Because of this, vinpocetine should never be used in organ recipients, people with advanced HIV infection, or those on immune suppressive drugs (including chemotherapy).
Vinpocetine may slow blood clotting and should be avoided in people with bleeding disorders or who take anticoagulants like Coumadin (warfarin) or anti-platelet drugs like Plavix (clopidogrel). Vinpocetine should not be taken two weeks before or after surgery to reduce the risk of excessive bleeding.
Due to the lack of long-term safety research, vinpocetine should not be used in children, pregnant women, or nursing mothers.
Context is important, the rat's that had issues related to vinpocetine started @ 40 mg/kg/bw/day or higher dose. In a 80 kilogram/176 lb human, this dose would be over 500 mg/day or about 17 times higher than the recommended 30 mg/day for humans. Nobody is using this high of a dose as used in these rats. If you give toxic doses of a substance to rats or humans, of course you are going to get toxic results! Context is important!
I used this supplement as part of a memory improvement regimen in a very close friend of mine based on multiple studies at 30 mg/day to good effect. Here is more realistic data regarding Vinpocetine.
I think they were getting 20 mg dissolved in saline, so I guess injected.
Methods: Eighty-nine Parkinson's disease patients and 42 healthy controls were recruited for this study. All patients were randomly assigned to either the traditional therapy group (T PD group, n = 46) or the vinpocetine group (V PD group, n = 43), in a blinded manner. Both treatments were administered for 14 days.
Results: Administration of vinpocetine reduced mRNA levels of TLR2/4, as well as protein levels of the downstream signalling molecules, MyD88 and NF-κB; moreover, it lowered the expression levels of serum inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α and MCP-1. Notably, vinpocetine increased TLR3 mRNA levels, as well as protein levels of the downstream signalling molecules TRIF-β and IRF-3, and serum levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and IL-8. Furthermore, vinpocetine produced a robust increase in the Mini Mental State Examination score, compared to that achieved by using levodopa therapy.
Conclusion: Vinpocetine treatment may exhibit anti-inflammatory activity and alleviate cognitive impairment.
Thanks for the link. That's good information. Especially the short half life indicating taking smaller doses more spread out would be good. I think I will go with 30 twice a day (with my 2 meals).
I’ve been talking 30 mg x2 per day in the morning and early afternoon on and off for 2-3 years at least. Don’t remember how I came up with the dose after few papers reading. I was talking it to improve blood circulation in the brain, did not know about it anti inflammatory properties. I want to admit that it was probably the only supplement the benefits of which were very fast and distinct. I felt noticeably better clarity and brain power. From this point of view I agree with FDA reclassifying vinpocetin as a pharmaceutical:). Also, I didn’t know about taking it with food, will pay attention from now on.
Thanks for letting me know about the FDA reclassification. Can't say I agree as the price would go through the roof and I'd probably never get a prescription. Time to stock up!
Vinpocetin is not an approved drug, sorry for misinformation. It has rather strange status - there were fda warnings for its possible side effects in pregnancy and child birth. And I think it didn’t get an approval as a supplement. You can buy it from number of sites and sources, but stocking seems to be logical.
Art, did your friend take the 30mg in one dose or two. I’ve started taking it, along with your other recommendations, as I’m concerned about my memory.
I’m also just started giving it to my husband, as I’m concerned that the mannitol is not working as well. I’ll report on that soon.
She told me she does both depending on what she has, 10 mg or 30 mg. Three doses per day of 10 mg each is probably the most useful way to take it because it has about a 3 hour half life so 3- ten mg caps a day is likely to give a more steady state of Vinpocetine than one 30 mg cap per day.
If the 5 supplements offered zero benefit in terms of memory improvement, then a few diagnostic trips to your neurologist would seem to be the next step to try and figure out exactly what is causing memory impairment. These 5 supplements would be of little to no benefit if you have a B-12 deficiency that is causing your memory issues. There are multiple causes for memory deficit and while those 5 supplements can help with some, they may be of little use with others. Testing these 5 may be an easy and simple fix for some people.
Also, I think that if the purpose of taking these is strictly to improve memory and not other health conditions as my friend was doing, then the order of taking them should be changed in order to potentially speed the process up significantly. My friend had some health issues that she was also trying to treat with this regimen and so her first two supplements were based more on those heath issues than memory. So if memory is the main issue, I have rearranged the order to take the supplements in order to potentially speed the test up and I described the new order near the end of the following link. You will have to scroll to the "update" at the end of the original post :
On the other hand, if the 5 supplements did offer memory improvement, but you are looking for even more improvement, then I would increase certain of the supplements that still had room to increase the dose. If you still want more improvement, I would strongly consider a 6 th supplement. Regarding what would be my choice as the 6th supplement for memory improvement, it would be Citicoline, based on the following randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial in 100 people for 12 weeks :
Thanks Art. I don’t have any other health issues, except for arthritis, particularly in my fingers. I did try Borax, but it hasn’t done anything. I’m about to try turmeric and black pepper. My sister-in-law has rheumatoid arthritis and my brother has Osteo, like me. It’s been very successful for them.
My memory problems may be caused by stress. This roller coaster ride we are all on is hard to cope with.
I will follow your protocol and see what happens. Will report back later.
Thanks for your input Art. I started with 1/4tsp. of Borax. I did increase to 1tsp. Probably took for 6-8 weeks. I did take a statin, but stopped it recently..10mg a day. My good cholesterol is very high, so decided I don’t need it.
Art, would you be up to sharing your opinion on aspirin? John Hopkins University studied it in 2015. And do you converse with Rescuema? I hope she is well. She has disappeared I fear.
I think Rescuema has found a balance of how much time she spends here and doing other things. For awhile she was putting in a lot of time here and I think she may have been letting other things in her life slide. I guess it is just down to adjusting your priorities to a place of balance. At one point she was seriously considering not coming back, but she was able to work out this new balance between being here and taking care of priorities in her life and I think it is a more comfortable place for her to live her life now. She always brings good information when she is here!
I like aspirin as an antiviral, but what specifically do you want to know about it? Aspirin covers a lot of ground.
Thank you Art for the update on Rescuema. She has a special place in my heart. I miss her. I happened upon a 2015 study about aspirin for neurodegenerative diseases and it looked promising but then literally nothing since. It was studied at John Hopkins. I posted about it a couple hours ago.
this may sound silly but I mean it with 100% sincerity. Just reading posts about what I can do to be proactive helps me feel better. I often dread logging in to HU but I’m compelled to do so as I mine for relevant info I can put in to action.
“Hope” is a challenge for me. I’m of the character that I need research, solid facts, and something I can put in to action to be the foundation of my hope. I take research and the research of others on here very seriously and I implement as much of it. It contributes greatly to my mental wellness. Knowing there are people with whom I have contact, actively researching on behalf of PWP is very bolstering and soothing.
Vinpocetine is a multifaceted supplement that has many positive effects on human health and affects multiple pathways in healthful ways. It is long term useful in terms of health.
Here is a review link that gives many clues about the potential of vinpocetine in human health including neurodegenerative diseases :
When you lower inflammation and oxidative stress in PD and other diseases, you are taking a positive step toward healing. The memory benefit is important, the other two are a bonus.
Art, I just realized you were not dampening my expectations but attempting to dampen my concerns. I used to work for a fortune 500 company and had in my signature block "sometimes I'm stupid".
Oh, it was just the standard cautionary "pass it by a pharmacist first" caution. Then I realized it was a capsule (not a tablet). My original thought was that some preparations are designed to deliver the dosage in a certain way, and that taking it in a quick delivery method might not be a great idea.
there are four others as well noted in an "integrative approach", I have taken ALC for decades now with solid cognitive results, but stopped GbE as what I had been taking was probably a "commodity" product and didn't seem to have much effect, started taking vinpocetine recently, but with everything else I take for cognitive function hard for me to say much (AMB is my mainstay for cognitive maintenance and its benefit for me in that regard is so strong, it's hard to say how much any add ons are helping me at this point), should probably try Bacopa again (like GbE, didn't feel much impact at the time), and I really should look more into PS (or eat more fish) based on the links at bottom.
"....nutritional and botanical therapies are available which have proven degrees of efficacy and generally favorable benefit-to-risk profiles. This review covers five such therapies: phosphatidylserine (PS), acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC), vinpocetine, Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE), and Bacopa monniera (Bacopa). PS is a phospholipid enriched in the brain, validated through double-blind trials for improving memory, learning, concentration, word recall, and mood in middle-aged and elderly subjects with dementia or age-related cognitive decline. PS has an excellent benefit-to-risk profile. ALC is an energizer and metabolic cofactor which also benefits various cognitive functions in the middle-aged and elderly, but with a slightly less favorable benefit-to-risk profile. Vinpocetine, found in the lesser periwinkle Vinca minor, is an excellent vasodilator and cerebral metabolic enhancer with proven benefits for vascular-based cognitive dysfunction. Two meta-analyses of GbE demonstrate the best preparations offer limited benefits for vascular insufficiencies and even more limited benefits for Alzheimer's, while "commodity" GbE products offer little benefit, if any at all. GbE (and probably also vinpocetine) is incompatible with blood-thinning drugs. Bacopa is an Ayurvedic botanical with apparent anti-anxiety, anti-fatigue, and memory-strengthening effects. These five substances offer interesting contributions to a personalized approach for restoring cognitive function..."
....changed the functioning of 2400 other genes in brain cells. Many of those genes are associated with Parkinson's disease, as well as with the production of mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell."
"Increasing phosphatidylserine may enhance the effectiveness of what little dopamine remains in Parkinson’s disease patients–helping to preserve brain function. The energy-producing mitochondria also rely upon a healthy membrane to carry out the function of energy production. Like the cellular membrane, the mitochondrial membrane requires adequate phosphatidylserine to maintain normal function. "
Vinpocetine has been shown to enhance memory in animal models, with possible cognitive benefit in humans. The present study sought to demonstrate if vinpocetine can enhance cognition in healthy volunteers or patients with epilepsy. In addition, we compare blood levels of vinpocetine and its active metabolite (apovincaminic acid; AVA) in humans and animals to further characterize factors related to possible therapeutic benefit.
Methods
The cognitive effects of vinpocetine were assessed in healthy adult volunteers (n = 8) using a double-blind, randomized, crossover design at single doses (placebo, 10, 20, and 60 mg oral). Cognitive effects of vinpocetine in patients with focal epilepsy (n = 8) were tested using a double-blind, randomized, crossover design at single doses (placebo, 20 mg oral) followed by one-month open label at 20 mg oral three times a day. The neuropsychological battery included both computerized and non-computerized tests. Levels of vinpocetine and AVA in the human studies were compared to levels in 45 mice across time dosed at 5–20 mg/kg intraperitoneal of vinpocetine.
Results
No significant cognitive benefits were seen in healthy volunteers or patients with epilepsy. No appreciable side effects occurred. Vinpocetine and AVA levels were lower in humans than animals.
Conclusions
Vinpocetine was well tolerated, but was not associated with positive cognitive effects. However, blood levels obtained in humans were substantially less than levels in animals obtained from dosages known to be effective in one model. This suggests that higher dosages are needed in humans to assess vinpocetine’s cognitive efficacy.
It looks like mixed results depending on condition. Plus some of these were taking low doses. Also, these studies are usually based on a mono-therapy. That's not us
Bolt, I want to be able to post links but my ability to cut and paste on this phone is not working (Don’t know why)
There are studies on quercitin that are really interesting.
I’m presently listening to Application of Senolytics - Dr. Alan Green by the YT channel Modern Healthspan
He just said that Quercitin combined with one other drug (need to relisten- cooking ) stopped ALZ progression in mice.
ALZ has many similarities to PD and LBD. I think the disease modifying drug or regimen once found for one disease will possibly apply to all; MS, ALZ, PD, LBD
Quercetin has been used in two human studies, and all mouse studies with dasatinib included quercetin. Fisetin had an excellent result in a 2018 mouse study. It was even more effective than quercetin, and there are several human studies using fisetin now listed on: clinicaltrials.gov. There have been no apparent harmful effects from long-term removal of senescent cells.
Clinical research indicates that tea theaflavins and quercetin are excellent (senolytic) compounds that influence specific biological pathways that promote youthful cellular characteristics and encourage the body to manage senescent cells.
Small Molecule Fisetin Modulates Alpha–Synuclein Aggregation PDF
by R Rosado-Ramos · 2021 — Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder known for its typical motor features, the deposition of α-synuclein (αsyn)-positive ..
Fifteen Alzheimer patients were treated with increasing doses of vinpocetine (30, 45, and 60 mg per day) in an open-label pilot trial during a one-year period. Patients were assessed seven times both on and off drug with: the Buschke Selective Reminding Task, a letter fluency test, a category fluency test, the Boston Naming Test, a cognitive capacity screening examination, and a clinical global impression. Vinpocetine failed to improve cognition on psychometric testing or overall functioning, as measured by the clinical global impression, at any dose tested. Patients showed significant decline in most measures during the course of the study, at the same rate as a matched control group, consistent with progressive dementia. There were no significant side effects from drug therapy. We conclude that vinpocetine is ineffective in improving cognitive deficits and does not slow the rate of decline in individuals with Alzheimer's disease.
Investigation of the effect of vinpocetine on cerebral blood flow and cognitive functions 2007 europepmc.org/article/med/1...
Introduction
Vinpocetine has been widely used in the treatment of ischaemic cerebrovascular diseases and dementias of vascular type. Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion plays an important role in the development of certain types of dementia. In consequence of complex mode of action vinpocetine plays a significant role in the improvement of cerebral hypoperfusion. The symptoms of mild cognitive impairment considered as "predementia" are similar to those of dementia, although milder.
Aims
The authors investigated the characteristics of the blood flow parameters of patients with ischemic stroke and mild cognitive impairment both in resting conditions or following chemical stimulus as well as they investigated the severity of mental deterioration in the two patient groups. In a pilot study the authors examined the influence of 12-week long oral vinpocetine therapy on the blood flow parameters and cognitive functions in the two patient groups.
Methods
The authors studied the blood flow velocity of a. cerebri media in resting conditions and after 30 sec of breath holding with transcranial Doppler before treatment and after a 12-week long oral vinpocetine treatment. At the same time psychometric tests (MMSE, ADAS-Cog) were used in order to examine cognitive functions, while the general condition of the patients were scored by Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale.
Results
After a 12-week long oral vinpocetine treatment the increase of blood flow velocity in resting conditions compared to the baseline values was significant in the vascular group. The percent increase of mean velocity after the breath holding TCD test showed a significant increase compared to the baseline in both patient groups. The authors found a significant improvement of cognitive functions after a 12-week long oral vinpocetine therapy using psychometric tests. The improvement was identical in both groups. The general condition of patients improved significantly according to both the investigator's and the patients' opinion; patients with mild cognitive impairment judged the improvement higher.
Conclusions
Vinpocetine improved the cerebrovascular reserve capacity in both patient groups and favourably influenced the cognitive status and general condition of patients with chronic hypoperfusion. The authors recommend the use of vinpocetine for the treatment of patients with mild cognitive impairment.
Effect of Vinpocetine (Cognitol™) on Cognitive Performances of a Nigerian Population 2014 ajol.info/index.php/amhsr/a...
(what a small dose)
Background: Chronic medical disorders are often complicated by cognitive impairments, making medical intervention that can alleviate cognitive disturbances desirable. Vinpocetine enhances cerebral utilization of oxygen and glucose and consequently improves cerebral functions including memory. Aim: This study assessed the efficacy of vinpocetine (Cognitol™) in improving memory and concentration in cognitively impaired patients.
Subjects and Methods: A prospective analytical study of 56 cognitively impaired patients compared with age, sex and level of education matched 56 controls. Cognitive performance was assessed with the Short Blessed Test, which was pilot‑tested. Baseline cognitive performances of the patients and controls were obtained and thereafter cognitive performances of the patients were assessed at 6 and 12 weeks after administration of vinpocetine at a dose of 5 mg twice‑a‑day. Comparative analysis of their performances at baseline was done using the Student t‑test, while the improvement in patients’ performances and effect of disease variables on cognitive performances were analyzed with one‑way analysis of variance and likelihood ratio analysis respectively.
Results: The mean (standard deviation) [SD] ages of the cognitively impaired patients (56/112) and controls (56/112) were 49.5 (18.9) and 53.8 (15.8) years respectively (P = 0.19; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.2‑10.8). The pilot study yielded an optimal cut‑off error score of 6 with a sensitivity of 71.4%, specificity of 96.4% and accuracy of 83.9%. Patients performed significantly worse than the controls (P < 0.001; 95% CI 6.7‑11.4). There were significant improvements in memory and concentration with vinpocetine therapy (P < 0.05). The clinical variables of the patients had no effect on the trend of cognitive performances.
Conclusions: Vinpocetine was effective in improving memory and concentration of patients with epilepsy and dementia although the efficacy was minimal in demented patients.
Next up I need to revisit Trans-Resveratrol. Do you use Trans-resveratrol? Dr. David Sinclair of Harvard personally uses a powder form and takes 1/2 - 1 gram a day mixed in a full fat yogurt he makes himself. I am remiss to add more pills and am interested in powder forms when possible. If you have thoughts of recommendations on this, please share!
Interesting. Hadn't heard of that one. Powder or pill form? I've been using the glycine powder every evening now. I have taurine powder but it is very odd, won't mix in water. But I want to avoid more pills. Btw, don't know if this applies to what you are taking but don't take thiamine late in the day as it affects sleep. I recently read that and so I've adjusted my schedule. This self care is like a part time job! But I can't think of anything more important than doing all we can to protect our brains.
Vinpocetine can pass the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain after oral or intravenous administration (Gulyas et al., 2002a, Gulyas et al., 2002b).
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