It's that time in January where we need a boost in our New Year's resolutions. At the end of last year, one of our co-founders, Daniel Schmachtenberger, put together a strategy and list of his favorite resources for creating successful New Year’s Resolutions, or better yet, life planning in general. Daniel joins us again in this article to explore his dharma definition and how to use this dharma inquiry to explore your own unique life path.

In our earlier articles in our guide to fasting series (How to Fast, What to Expect While Intermittent Fasting, and Anti-Aging Benefits) you learned the science behind fasting, the underlying mechanisms that provide benefits, and how to start. In Is Fasting Good for You? Q&A on Fasting we focus on five of the most pressing questions we believe members of the Neurohacker Collective community are interested in learning.

In Silicon Valley, the hub of anti-aging research and funding, countless entrepreneurs and high-profile celebrities use fasting to combat the effects of aging. In part 3 of this series, we will explore the mechanisms that create these fasting benefits. This part is more scientific than the others, but we emphasize only crucial components in an easily digestible format.

One of our co-founders, Daniel Schmactenberger, shares his favorite resources for creating successful New Year’s Resolutions, or better yet, a life planning template.

In part 2 we explore how some biohackers are using traditional caloric restriction, some of the purported benefits, and what you can expect. This provides more in-depth context for fasting and how you might be able to apply it in your life.

During the season of holiday feasts, the Neurohacker Collective team and community seem compelled to explore fasting benefits. In part one of four, we approach the big picture of fasting and historical background of the early research. Even though the benefits of fasting have been studied for over a hundred years, traditional calorie restriction of decreasing calories by 15 - 40% has not been sustainable long-term.

The amount of time we live is called lifespan. The length of time that a person is healthy and functional—not just alive—is called healthspan. Scientific understanding in these areas is advancing rapidly. Below are 12 things the collective thinks will help on your journey to a longer healthier you. 

Neuroplasticity, the nervous system's adaptive capabilities to change itself over a lifetime, is a fascinating subject. Join us as we dive deep into the science behind neuroplasticity, the role environment and behavior plays in the neurogenesis process, and how to support the biochemical processes that drive neurogenesis.

This article goes into great detail about the design and formulation process of our product Qualia Mind which was designed to promote a sustained improvement across the whole pallet of objective capacities and subjective states that contribute to optimized, creative, productive flow states. In this article, we want to share how individual ingredients stack together toward supporting those goals.

Qualia nootropics were designed to promote a sustained improvement across the whole pallet of objective capacities and subjective states that contribute to optimized, creative, productive flow states. This goal required factoring many creative-productive capacities simultaneously. 

Choosing the optimal dose for a given ingredient in our formulations is a critical and nuanced topic, so we want to share a bit about the principles that help guide our decisions at Neurohacker. Our principles derive from complexity science—the science of complex adaptive systems—and guide how we factor research and approach formulation and dosing. They take into consideration scientific evidence on the change in effect caused by differing levels of exposure (i.e., the dose-response relationship), but they do this in a way that honors complexity.

Find a successful person and you will find a structured morning routine.

Shawn Ramer, PhD joins ranks as Senior Vice President of Product Development; Gregory Kelly, ND signs on as Lead Product Formulator; Sara Adães, PhD expands research duties

Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator (i.e., a messenger molecule released by nerve cells to signal and regulate other nerve cells). It plays important roles in cognitive function, most notably, in the neural mechanisms of memory.1 In addition to this memory function, acetylcholine is involved in supporting alertness, attention, and learning. 

Glutamate is the most abundant neurotransmitter in our brain and central nervous system (CNS). It is involved in virtually every major excitatory brain function.

From air and water filters, to therapy lights, to exercise tools this list has a little of everything for neurohackers.

Dopamine is one of the main neurotransmitters in the brain. It is most commonly recognized for its role in reward, motivation, and pleasure, but also plays a crucial part in modulating focus, motivation, cognitive flexibility, and emotional resilience. In addition to these creative-productive capacities and states, dopamine is one of the main regulators of motor control and coordination of body movements.

Huperzine A is commonly used as an ingredient in nootropic supplements and is found naturally in Chinese club moss Huperzia serrata, from which the nootropic gets its name. 

A great example of a nootropic that has a lot of benefits, but isn’t examined closely is pyrroloquinoline quinone. While many may focus on the surface level benefits from taking it, understanding how it works reveals the full impact it can have on the human body.

D-calcium pantothenate is a form of pantothenic acid, or vitamin B5. Found in plants and animal tissues as well as cereal grains, eggs legumes, and milk. Most known for protecting cells against peroxidative damage by increasing the level of glutathione--an important compound aiding in the oxidation-reduction of cells. 

Artichoke extract, sometimes called artichoke leaf extract, has all the benefits of artichokes in a concentrated form. Artichoke extract offers a wide range of benefits. Let’s start by looking at some of the nootropic benefits.

DL-Phenylalanine (DLPA) is an amino acid supplement, a synthetic phenylalanine. Phenylalanine is a neutral,non-polar amino acid that plays a crucial role in many functions within the body. One of those functions is to produce tyrosine, a major component for synthesizing hormones.

Plato used the expression “techne tou biou” which translates to the craft of life.  The craft of life is the ongoing learning, discovery, and work of what it means to be you in your world and how you are consciously guiding that experience as it unfolds before you.

Vinpocetine is a synthetically produced alkaloid derived initially from periwinkle plants. To be more specific, it’s derived from a molecule within the plant called vincamine. Vinpocetine goes by many names

Phosphatidylserine s a nootropic that has been the subject of a large number of studies intended to take a closer look at the variety of phosphatidylserine benefits. Some of these benefits stand out as particularly strong.