10 MEMORY DRUGS (TESTED) - NEUROPSYCHOLOGY - 2025

The most used memory medications are donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine, memantine, tacrine, phosphatidylserine and others that I will mention below. Due to aging and the increase in the life expectancy of society, more and more people suffer from disorders in their cognitive abilities, especially in memory.

This fact, together with the greater knowledge that is possessed today about dementia processes, neuronal functioning and the brain regions involved with memory processes, has allowed the research and design of drugs that allow improving this type of skills.

Medications that improve memory act in the brain with the aim of solving or mitigating existing dysfunctions in the different areas that we will comment on later, which can put memory processes into question.

It should be noted that currently the drugs designed for such purposes are under investigation, so there is no infallible drug that can improve memory completely.

However, nowadays there are a series of drugs that, despite not making treatments that allow to improve memory completely, have shown some effectiveness to enhance these abilities and provide positive effects in some cases.

The main drugs to improve memory

1- Donepezil

Aricep (Donepezil hydrochloride). Source: NLM

Donepezil is a reversible inhibitor of actylcholinesterase, an enzyme that is responsible for the hydrolysis of a neurotransmitter known as acetylcholine. Taking this drug increases the amounts of acetylcholine in the brain regions.

This medicine is used to treat Alzheimer-type dementia disorders in its mild or moderate forms. It is only used to improve memory, or rather, slow down memory impairment in people with neurodegenerative Alzheimer's disease.

Its effectiveness lies in the effect it has on acetylcholine, one of the substances most affected by dementia syndromes.

Although this drug does not allow to cure or reverse demential disorders, they have been shown to be effective in increasing mental functions such as memory, attention and language in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases.

2- Rivastigmine

Rivastigmine structural formula. Source: Jü

Rivastigmine is another cognitive enhancer that is used as a treatment for dementia syndromes.

It belongs to the same group of drugs as donepezil, so its mechanism of action also lies in inhibiting acetylcholinesterase and increasing acetylcholine levels in different brain regions.

The increase of this chemical substance in key areas such as the hippocampus, the cerebellum or the different lobes of the brain allows increasing mental functioning and enhances cognitive performance.

Unlike donepezil, rivastigmine is also used as a treatment for Parkinson's disease and is considered a pseudo-reversible drug as its effects on the brain last much longer.

Its effect on cognitive functions and memory is moderate and it is used only as palliative treatment.

3- Galantamine

Structural formula of Galantamine. Source: Jü

It is the last of the currently marketed selective acetylcholinesterase inhibitor drugs, so its mechanism of action coincides with the two drugs discussed above.

It is used especially in patients with Alzheimer's disease, and it is probably the most effective of the three.

Galantamine makes it possible to increase the amounts of acetylcholine in the brain areas that present a greater deficiency of this substance in Alzheimer's disease: the nuclei that project from the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex towards the frontal and temporal lobes.

In addition, this drug also improves the effect of acetylcholine on nicotinic receptors, thus increasing the levels of acetylcholine in the brain in abundance and making it possible to supply part of the deficiencies presented in neurodegenerative diseases.

4- Memantine

Structural formula of memantine Source: Fvasconcellos

Memantine is the first in a new class of drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease, and increase cognitive abilities and memory. This drug acts on the glutamatergic system by blocking NMDA glutamate receptors.

There is increasingly clear evidence that the glutamatergic neurotransmitter contributes to a decrease in amnestic capacity, which is why this drug is being used more and more frequently in individuals with dementia disorders.

When consuming memantine, the levels of glutamate in the brain increase and the symptoms caused by the deficiency of this substance (decrease in cognitive and memory functions) decrease.

These types of drugs are still under investigation but they make a very promising solution to increase memory and are already used to treat multiple cases of dementia.

5- Tacrine

Tacrine molecule. Source: Jynto

Tacrine is a cholinesterase inhibitor with a mechanism of action similar to that of donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine.

In fact, this drug was the first cholinesterase inhibitor used to improve cognitive symptoms (memory, attention, reasoning, etc.) in Alzheimer's patients.

In addition, tacrine also appears to act as a potassium ion channel blocker, which allows to increase the release of new amounts of acetylcholine from functional cholinergic neurons and, therefore, to further improve memory.

Despite the brain benefits it provides, this drug was withdrawn from the market due to its high hepatotoxicity, a fact that led to the design of new drugs that could inhibit cholinesterase without being toxic to the human body.

6- Phosphatidylserine

Structural formula of phosphatidylserine. Source: Roland Mattern

Phosphatidylserine is a component of phospholipids that is maintained in the inner lipid layer of cell membranes thanks to an enzyme called flipase.

The consumption of this substance allows to increase the amount of fat generated by the brain, maintaining cell membranes, increasing cell growth and improving the functioning of brain regions.

It is argued that phosphatidylserine increases memory, concentration and learning capacity due to the nutrition it provides on neuronal regions.

In addition, it increases mood, reduces anxiety, alleviates the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, reduces seizures of epilepsy, and improves cognitive functioning in a general way.

However, despite the benefits it provides, nowadays there is no scientific evidence to demonstrate its efficacy for the treatment of dementia disorders.

7- Citylcholine

Structural formula of citylcholine. Source: Fvasconcellos (UTC)

This drug is a psychostimulant, neuroprotective and nootropic (increases mental performance) that is obtained from the synthesis of phosphatidylcoine from choline.

This substance has been shown to stimulate phospholipid biosynthesis at the level of the neuronal membrane and is considered the only effective neuroprotective agent in acute phases of stroke.

Its mechanism of action lies in preventing the degradation of choline phospholipids and producing a partial reversal of the release of free fatty acids.

In addition, there is some evidence that cytylcholine counteracts the deposits of beta-amylode, a protein that plays a very important role in the development of Alzheimer's disease, so this substance could make a good preventive action for the dementia syndromes.

However, at present this drug is used only to mitigate the cognitive symptoms of head trauma, vascular accidents and cerebral vascular insufficiency.

8- Piracetam

Nootropil (Piracetam). Source: Anders Sandberg from Oxford, UK

Piracetam is a water-soluble synthetic drug with nootropic action (increases mental performance). Likewise, it is considered a neuroprotective agent.

The mechanism of action of the drug lies in improving the metabolism of neurons allowing a better uptake of oxygen. By ingesting piracetam, the conversion of adenosine diphosphate to adenosine triphosphate is stimulated, which increases the level of neuronal energy.

It is used to intervene in attention and memory disorders, difficulties in daily activity and adaptation to the environment, and as a palliative treatment for neurodegenerative diseases and brain hemorrhages.

9- Acetyl-L-carnitine

Structural formula of Acetyl L-carnitine. Source: Ed (Edgar181)

This drug makes it possible to transport long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria (one of the parts of neurons).

Acetyl-L-carnitine increases cellular energy by stimulating the uptake of acetylcholine in the mitochondria during the oxidation of fatty acids. This fact makes it possible to improve cognitive functions, stimulate memory and enhance attention and concentration capacity.

In addition to the excess energy it provides, this drug also provides antioxidant activities and prevents the death of neurons.

It has multiple applications such as weight loss, the reduction of fatigue, the treatment of sexual problems and the increase of memory, concentration and mood.

10- Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo biloba leaves. Source: James Field (Jame)

This last substance is not a drug, but rather extracts from the leaves of the ginkgo biloba tree, which contain natural elements that help combat circulatory disorders associated with aging.

It has multiple benefits such as relief of pain and heaviness in the legs caused by deficits in the circulatory flow of the lower extremities, reduces the sensations of vertigo and occasional dizziness, and reduces the symptoms of migraine.

It also allows treating venous disorders such as varicose veins or hemorrhoids, and prevents thromboembolism, arteriosclerosis and strokes.

Finally, it enhances memory and the ability to concentrate by increasing blood flow to brain regions.

Brain and memory

The study and research of brain regions and chemical structures involved in amnesic processes has allowed the design of drugs that are able to improve memory in humans.

Knowing which are the brain regions that carry out the activities of learning, retention and information retrieval has allowed to initiate investigations aimed at the preparation of drugs for memory.

In fact, at present, the study of interventions for memory encompasses the majority of scientific interest in the field of neurology and neuropsychology. The main brain regions that have been related to memory processes are:

Hippocampus

It consists of a small region located in the temporal lobe of the brain that belongs to the limbic system.

It is made up of two main structures, the Ammon horn and the dentate gyrus, and makes up the brain system that performs more memory processes.

It is argued that the hippocampus allows the encoding of information, gives rise to short-term memory, medium-term memory and makes cognitive maps.

Cerebellum

The cerebellum is a structure located at the back of the brain. It is involved in the encoding of complex memories, enables motor learning, and gives rise to procedural memories.

Amygdala

This region is located just below the hippocampus and plays a major role in emotional learning.

Basal ganglia

They are brain nuclei located in the medial temporal lobe that perform basic functions related to learning, cognition, and the control of motor activities.

Frontal lobe

It is the front part of the brain that carries out working memory processes and attentional processes.

Likewise, this brain region is responsible for recovering the information stored in the hippocampus, integrates the concepts into categories and performs what is known as prospective memory (the ability to remember what we need to do in the future).

Temporal lobe

It is located in the lower part of the brain and is closely related to autobiographical memory.

Damage to this region can impair long-term memory and compromise semantic knowledge and episodic memories.

Parietal lobes

This lobe is found in the uppermost part of the brain, just above the occipital lobe and behind the frontal lobe.

It performs multiple functions, including the control of attention, the performance of spatial awareness and the development of orientation skills.

Occipital lobe

This last region is located in the most posterior part of the head, that is, above the nape.

Its main function falls on visual perception, which is why it is the first structure to participate in learning all the information we capture through this sense.

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