Nootropic
A nootropic is a substance claimed to improve cognition, such as memory, attention or learning. The word dates from 1972 and is used for drugs and supplements; a 2022 review found the efficacy of cognitive-enhancing drugs in healthy people uncertain.
What it means in practice
This entry defines the word. For what nootropics are, how they are studied and what the evidence shows, read our guide What are nootropics?.
The term was coined in 1972, when a drug was observed to enhance memory in clinical trials [1]. In research use, cognition covers memory, attention, executive functions, perception, language and psychomotor functions [1]. A 2012 review proposed sorting cognitive enhancers into 18 categories by how they act, for example on receptors, enzymes or ion channels, and grouping those with an unknown mechanism by their structure or origin [1].
Today the word is used in two different settings. In a 2022 pharmacology review, "smart drugs", "nootropics" and "cognitive enhancers" are used as near-synonyms for medicines that healthy students and workers take to try to improve memory, attention, learning and vigilance [2]. In the supplement market, "nootropic" names the brain-health category, where botanicals such as Ginkgo biloba, American ginseng and Bacopa monnieri are among the most common ingredients [3].
In the US, calling a product a nootropic does not mean a regulator has checked that it works: under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), FDA does not have the authority to approve dietary supplements before they are marketed [4].
Why it matters when reading nootropics research
The label describes what a product is meant to do, not what was measured. A 2022 review of the drugs most often used as cognitive enhancers by healthy people concluded that their efficacy in healthy individuals is uncertain and that any reported improvement is temporary [2]. The same review noted that most of these drugs are stimulants, and that their effects on noradrenaline, glutamate and dopamine may lead to cardiovascular, neurological and psychiatric complications [2].
When a study reports a "nootropic effect", look for three things: the specific outcome (a named memory or attention test), the comparison (placebo or no treatment) and the population (healthy adults or a clinical group). NootropicsWork grades each compound one outcome at a time for that reason, rather than giving a single verdict on whether something is "a nootropic".
References
- Froestl W, Muhs A, Pfeifer A. Cognitive enhancers (nootropics). Part 1: drugs interacting with receptors. J Alzheimers Dis. 2012.
- Schifano F, Catalani V, Sharif S, et al. Benefits and Harms of 'Smart Drugs' (Nootropics) in Healthy Individuals. Drugs. 2022.
- Roe AL, Venkataraman A. The Safety and Efficacy of Botanicals with Nootropic Effects. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2021.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements. Updated August 27, 2026.