All About Acetylcholine: Neurotransmitter for Memory and Focus
A low level of acetylcholine has a uniquely negative impact on memory and focus. Learn the three most effective ways you can increase acetylcholine.
Acetylcholine is one of the most important neurotransmitters.
It’s been called the “memory molecule” for the critical role it plays in memory, learning, and attention.
It was the first neurotransmitter discovered and is one of the most abundant in the nervous system.
A typical sign of insufficient acetylcholine is what’s referred to as “senior moments.”
But when your acetylcholine level is low, these memory lapses can occur at any age.
If your memory and ability to focus aren’t as good as you’d like, learn more about this unique brain chemical.
What Is Acetylcholine?
Acetylcholine was the first molecule to be identified as a neurotransmitter, a chemical that neurons use to communicate with each other.
Otto Loewi, the German scientist who discovered acetylcholine, originally called it vagusstoff (vagus substance) because it was released by the body’s longest nerve, the vagus nerve.
He eventually won a Nobel Prize for this discovery.
Neurotransmitters are generally categorized as either excitatory or inhibitory, but acetylcholine doesn’t fall neatly into either camp.
It functions differently depending on its location and the type of receptors available.
Throughout the body, acetylcholine distributes, not confined to just the brain and nervous system.
In muscles, for example, it has an excitatory effect; but in the heart, it’s inhibitory.
While critical for higher thought processes, acetylcholine is not exclusive to humans.
It exists in other animals, plants, and even in bacteria and fungi.
There are two main kinds of acetylcholine receptors — nicotinic and muscarinic.
They get their names from two substances that act upon acetylcholine receptors.
Nicotine binds to nicotinic receptors, while the mushroom toxin muscarine binds to muscarinic receptors.
What Does Acetylcholine Do?
Acetylcholine performs a wide array of functions throughout the body, being found in various tissues.
In the brain, acetylcholine functions as both a neurotransmitter and as a neuromodulator, a substance that modulates the action of neurotransmitters, up or down, as needed.
As a neurotransmitter, it helps us learn, focus, and stay mentally alert.
It is also involved in functions as diverse as wakefulness, REM sleep, digestion, muscle contractions, attentiveness, anger, aggression, sexuality, and thirst.
Acetylcholine enhances brain plasticity, the brain’s capacity to stay mentally flexible.
It is the main neurotransmitter of the parasympathetic nervous system which controls automatic functions such as digestion, respiration, and heart rate.
Whenever the fight-or-flight response triggers, acetylcholine helps restore the body to homeostasis by dilating blood vessels and slowing heart rate.
It also causes skeletal muscles and muscles in the intestines and lungs to contract.
It triggers the secretion of sweat, saliva, and tears in their corresponding glands.
Acetylcholine dysfunction is linked to numerous psychological and neurological disorders, including:
- addictions
- Alzheimer’s
- attention disorders
- dementia
- Huntington’s disease
- multiple sclerosis
- myasthenia gravis
- Parkinson’s
- schizophrenia
Acetylcholine Deficiency and Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s patients typically have significantly reduced levels and function of acetylcholine in their brains.
“ Your brain literally digests itself if you don’t provide it with the raw materials it needs to make acetylcholine.
This is why most drugs for treating Alzheimer’s, such as Aricept, Exelon, and Razadyne, work by blocking the breakdown of acetylcholine to help keep levels up.
While these drugs can’t cure or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s, they can temporarily slow it down.
Causes of Deficiency
There are a few medical reasons why you might have low levels of acetylcholine.
It is possible to have antibodies against acetylcholine receptors as in the case of myasthenia gravis.
This is why most drugs for treating Alzheimer’s, such as Aricept, Exelon, and Razadyne, work by blocking the breakdown of acetylcholine to help keep levels up.
While these drugs can’t cure or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s, they can temporarily slow it down.
There are a few medical reasons why you might have low levels of acetylcholine.
It is possible to have antibodies against acetylcholine receptors as in the case of myasthenia gravis.
How Low-Fat Diets Cause Deficiency
Low-fat and vegetarian diets have gained such popularity that they’re nearly considered mainstream.
But these diets put the brain at risk and, in this scenario, acetylcholine is a pivotal player.
Here’s why …
The synthesis of acetylcholine primarily relies on choline, a nutrient associated with the vitamin B complex.
The amount of available choline limits acetylcholine production, but 90% of us don’t consume enough choline from our diets.
The best food sources of choline are egg yolks and organ meats, but all fatty animal foods contain some of it.
There are a few plant sources of choline, but it’s extremely hard to get enough from plants to meet the daily Adequate Intake (AI) requirement of choline — 425 mg for women and 550 mg for men.
Whereas one egg contains roughly 150 mg of choline, to get that much from the best vegetable sources you’d have to eat 2 cups of tofu, 3 potatoes, 2-1/2 cups of broccoli, or 6 cups of brown rice.
So, following a diet that does not include fatty meats and/or eggs could lead to deficits of both choline and acetylcholine.
And this can damage your brain in a frightening and unforeseen way.
Harvard Medical School researcher Datis Kharrazian, PhD, DHSc, explains this in his book Why Isn’t My Brain Working?:
“If the brain needs acetylcholine and is not getting it from adequate dietary fat, then it will break down brain tissue for phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylcholine, two fat-based components from neurons tissue from which acetylcholine can be synthesized.”
Put plainly, your brain literally digests itself if you don’t provide it with the raw materials it needs to make acetylcholine.
And that’s as detrimental to brain health and function as it sounds.
Drugs That Lower Acetylcholine Levels
The second major cause of acetylcholine deficiency is the use of drugs called anticholinergics which block the action of acetylcholine.
It’s easy to remember which drugs affect acetylcholine because their common names start with “ant” or “anti” such as antacids, antibiotics, antihistamines, antihypertensives, and antidepressants.
While most anticholinergics are prescription drugs, some common over-the-counter (OTC) remedies, like Benadryl and Pepcid AC, fall into this category.
Older peoples’ brains are at particular risk due to use of anticholinergic drugs as this significantly increases the risk of dementia.
How to Increase it Naturally
If you exhibit signs of low acetylcholine, it’s best to address it now since chronic acetylcholine deficiency can lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s later.
Two excellent places to start are to eat more choline-rich foods, especially eggs, and avoid taking anticholinergic drugs.
And please, don’t worry about the effect of eating eggs on your heart health.
Numerous studies confirm that eating eggs does not increase your risk of heart disease, even if you eat up to 12 eggs per week.
There’s even evidence that people who eat eggs have a lower risk of heart disease than those who don’t eat eggs.
A large long-term study conducted by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health followed the dietary habits of over 200,000 people for more than 30 years.
Researchers concluded that there is no link between moderate egg consumption and heart disease.
The Best Acetylcholine Supplements
The final main way to increase acetylcholine is with appropriate supplements.
While there are no supplements that boost acetylcholine directly, you can choose from one of the many supplements that increase acetylcholine by other mechanisms.
Alpha-GPC and citicoline provide the brain with choline that readily turns into acetylcholine.
Taking one of these supplements is critical if you don’t eat eggs, organ meats, or other fatty meats.
There are several herbal brain supplements that work, in part, by increasing acetylcholine, including bacopa (Bacopa monnieri), gotu kola (Centella asiatica), and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius).
In some parts of the world, Huperzine A, derived from Chinese club moss (Huperzia serrata), medicinally treats Alzheimer’s by boosting acetylcholine.
Consider taking vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) along with other acetylcholine-boosting supplements since it’s an essential cofactor for turning choline into acetylcholine.
3 Surprising Benefits of Acetylcholine Supplements
Supplements that work on the acetylcholine system do more than just temporarily increase available levels of acetylcholine; they actually make acetylcholine receptors work better.
Acetylcholine receptors differ from the receptors of other neurotransmitters in that they are not subject to downregulation.
Acetylcholine receptors remain responsive, preventing the need for increased drug or supplement doses over time to maintain effectiveness.
In fact, the opposite occurs.
Can’t Focus? 12 Reasons Why and the Ways to Fix It
Stimulating acetylcholine receptors increases responsiveness, potentially reducing the need for supplementation to achieve similar benefits over time.
Acetylcholine-boosting supplements offer flexibility, akin to coffee for mental energy, usable as needed for immediate enhancement.
Can’t Focus? 12 Reasons Why and the Ways to Fix It
Stimulating acetylcholine receptors increases responsiveness, potentially reducing the need for supplementation to achieve similar benefits over time.
Acetylcholine-boosting supplements offer flexibility, like coffee for a mental energy boost, usable as needed for immediate enhancement.
Recommended: Upgrading brain health is key to making your brain work better.
Brain supplement can help you:
- Improve your mental clarity and focus.
- Boost your memory and your ability to learn.
- Increase your capacity to think critically, solve problems, and make decisions.
P.S. Like what you’ve read on this page? Get more like this — Sign up for our emails.
Also read our blog on When To Take Supplements | A Look At Stomach Contents and Bioavailability
