Research Articles
Evidence-based overviews of nootropic peptides, brain health, and cognitive performance research.
Cortisol and the Hippocampus: How Chronic Stress Shrinks Your Brain
Chronic elevated cortisol causes hippocampal atrophy, impairs memory consolidation, and disrupts neurogenesis. Here is what the neuroscience shows and what the evidence says about reversal.
Flow State Neuroscience: The Brain Science Behind Peak Performance
What happens in your brain during flow state — dopamine, norepinephrine, anandamide, and transient hypofrontality. Evidence-based protocols for inducing flow and sustaining peak cognitive performance.
BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor): What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Increase It
Comprehensive guide to BDNF — the brain's primary growth factor. How it drives neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity, and cognitive performance, plus evidence-based methods to increase BDNF naturally.
Nootropics for Programmers: A Research-Based Cognitive Stack Guide
A research-grounded guide to nootropics for software developers — covering caffeine+L-theanine, Lion's Mane, Bacopa, Rhodiola, Phosphatidylserine, and emerging compounds, with practical stacking protocols and dosing ranges.
The Gut-Brain Axis: How Your Microbiome Controls Cognition and Focus
The science behind the gut-brain connection — vagus nerve signalling, microbiome-derived neurotransmitters, leaky gut and neuroinflammation, and evidence-based interventions to optimise the gut-brain axis for cognitive performance.
Mitochondria and Cognitive Performance: The Energy-Brain Health Connection
An in-depth research overview of how mitochondrial health drives cognitive performance, covering ATP dependency in neuronal function, mitochondrial dysfunction and brain fog, targeted interventions including CoQ10, PQQ, NAD+, MitoQ, and SS-31, and the role of exercise and BDNF.
BDNF and Neuroplasticity: How Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Rewires Your Brain
A comprehensive guide to BDNF — what it is, how it drives neuroplasticity, what the research shows about exercise, diet, sleep, and peptides that increase BDNF, and why it matters for cognitive performance.
Lion's Mane Mushroom and NGF: Neuroscience of Cognitive Enhancement
Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) stimulates Nerve Growth Factor synthesis via hericenones and erinacines. Here is what the clinical trials show about memory, mood, and neuroregeneration.
Dihexa: The Angiotensin-Derived Nootropic Peptide and Its Cognitive Research Profile
A research overview of Dihexa, an angiotensin-derived peptide developed at Washington State University, covering its HGF/Met signalling mechanism, synaptogenesis data, preclinical cognitive research, and comparison with other nootropic peptides.
SS-31 and Neurological Research: Protecting the Mitochondria
SS-31 (Elamipretide) is a mitochondria-targeted peptide studied for neuroprotection. This overview covers its mechanisms and neurological research applications.
MOTS-c: The Mitochondrial Peptide and Cognitive Ageing
MOTS-c is a mitochondrial-derived peptide with emerging research into metabolic regulation and cognitive ageing. This overview covers the current science.
NAD+ and Brain Health: The Mitochondrial Connection
NAD+ is a critical coenzyme in neuronal energy metabolism. This research overview examines the role of NAD+ in brain health, cognitive ageing, and neuroprotection.
BPC-157 and the Brain: Neuroprotective Research Overview
BPC-157 is a peptide sequence derived from human gastric juice with studied neuroprotective properties. This research overview covers its mechanisms and brain health applications.
Selank and Anxiety: The Nootropic Peptide Explained
Selank is a synthetic peptide developed by the Russian Academy of Sciences. This overview examines its anxiolytic properties and nootropic research.
Semax and Cognitive Performance: What the Research Shows
A research overview of Semax, a synthetic peptide analogue of ACTH, and its studied effects on cognition, neuroprotection, and neuroplasticity.
Epithalon and the Ageing Brain: Telomere Research Explained
Epithalon (Epitalon) is a tetrapeptide studied for its effects on telomerase activation and biological ageing. This research overview covers the science of telomere extension and cognitive longevity.
Nootropic Peptides: A Research Overview for 2025
A comprehensive research overview of the leading nootropic peptides — Semax, Selank, BPC-157, Epithalon, and mitochondrial peptides — and what the current science shows.