We use essential cookies (authentication, your saved goals/stack) by default. With your permission we'll also enable privacy-respecting analytics (Vercel Web Analytics, anonymous load-time metrics) and error-replay diagnostics (Sentry — DOM snapshots only when an error fires) so we can fix bugs faster. Learn more about cookies
Research compound — not a dietary supplement
Coluracetam (BCI-540) is a research compound, not a regulated dietary supplement. It is sold for research or off-label use. The evidence below is largely preclinical (animal and in-vitro) or early-stage, so no evidence score is assigned. This page is provided for transparency and education — it is not a recommendation to use. Consult a qualified healthcare provider, and be aware that purity, dosing, and legal status vary by jurisdiction.
What the evidence says
Most Coluracetam (BCI-540) studies are mechanism or observational rather than RCTs that measure a clinical effect — keep findings provisional.
Most evidence is from mixed-quality studies published 1994–2015.
Based on 6 studies
Confidence
LowBy outcome
Coluracetam (BCI-540) has an evidence score of 3.2/10 — emerging evidence based on 6 indexed studies. A racetam-class nootropic and high-affinity choline-uptake (HACU) enhancer studied preclinically for memory and briefly in a Phase-2 depression/anxiety program that produced only modest, largely unpublished results. Almost all of the evidence is rodent and in-vitro; there is no peer-reviewed human efficacy data, and it is sold grey-market — not a dietary supplement. Representative study: PMID 7710736.
The commonly studied dose of Coluracetam (BCI-540) is No clinically validated dose exists. Grey-market nootropic use commonly cites 5–20 mg, but this is not supported by published human efficacy data.. Individual needs vary — start at the lower end of the range and adjust based on how you respond.
Armodafinil (Nuvigil)
Mostly mechanism / observationalA prescription wakefulness-promoting drug (Nuvigil) — the longer-acting R-enantiomer of modafinil — approved for the excessive sleepiness of narcolepsy, shift-work disorder, and residual sleepiness in treated obstructive sleep apnea. Used off-label as a 'smart drug' for wakefulness and cognition, but the off-label cognitive benefit in healthy people is modest and task-dependent (the same picture as modafinil), and it carries a rare but serious skin-reaction (SJS/TEN) warning. A prescription drug, not a supplement, and not a longevity drug.
Last reviewed June 2026 · evidence from 6 studies · how we score
This information is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any supplement or medication.
Coluracetam (BCI-540 / MKC-231) — high-affinity choline-uptake enhancer
A racetam-class nootropic and high-affinity choline-uptake (HACU) enhancer studied preclinically for memory and briefly in a Phase-2 depression/anxiety program that produced only modest, largely unpublished results. Almost all of the evidence is rodent and in-vitro; there is no peer-reviewed human efficacy data, and it is sold grey-market — not a dietary supplement.
Coluracetam (MKC-231) has a reproducible preclinical story — it enhances high-affinity choline uptake and reversed memory deficits in cholinergically-lesioned rodents — but the evidence stops there: the data are almost entirely rodent and in-vitro, the one human program (a Phase-2 depression/anxiety trial) produced only modest, unpublished results, there is no peer-reviewed human efficacy data, and it is an unapproved grey-market research chemical.
Coluracetam (originally MKC-231, later licensed as BCI-540) is a racetam-family compound first developed in Japan as a 'high-affinity choline-uptake enhancer.' Unlike most racetams, its defining mechanism is acceleration of high-affinity choline uptake (HACU) — the rate-limiting step of acetylcholine synthesis — by acting on the choline transporter CHT1, which preclinical work suggests increases acetylcholine synthesis and release in the hippocampus.
In rodent models of cholinergic damage (AF64A lesioning), MKC-231 reversed working-memory and water-maze learning deficits and, in cell culture, attenuated glutamate excitotoxicity.
On the strength of that mechanism it was advanced by BrainCells Inc as a Phase-2 candidate for major depressive disorder with comorbid anxiety; that program produced only modest results, was not published in peer-reviewed form, and was not advanced — so there is essentially no peer-reviewed human efficacy data for coluracetam.
The honest picture: this is a mechanistically interesting, mostly-preclinical (rodent and in-vitro) cholinergic compound with a single small unpublished human program behind it. It is not approved anywhere, is not a dietary supplement, and is sold on the grey market as a research chemical.
It is not a longevity drug and has no lifespan or healthspan data. The score reflects a plausible cholinergic mechanism and reproducible rodent memory data set against the complete absence of published human efficacy and unregulated supply.
Enhances HACU via the CHT1 transporter — the rate-limiting step of acetylcholine synthesis.
Restores hippocampal acetylcholine synthesis and release in cholinergically-lesioned rodents.
Attenuated glutamate excitotoxicity in cultured cortical neurons in vitro.
How Coluracetam (BCI-540) works — from molecular targets to health outcomes. Click an edge to see supporting research.This visualization is in beta — pathways are being refined and expanded.
Tap node to isolate • Pinch to zoom • Tap edge for research
No clinically validated dose exists. Grey-market nootropic use commonly cites 5–20 mg, but this is not supported by published human efficacy data.
Can be taken without food
| Form | Type |
|---|---|
| 🧪Coluracetam powder (research chemical) | Recommended |
Grey-market research chemical with no approved or standardized formulation. Not sold as a dietary supplement.
Minimum: 1 weeks
Optimal: 8 weeks
Cycling: Not required
Note: No validated human dosing or timing protocol — preclinical data only. Treat any human use as experimental.
Dose-response data unavailable. The current published research for Coluracetam (BCI-540) does not provide sufficient dose-specific outcome data to generate reliable dose-response curves.
Refer to the Dosage & Timing section above for recommended dose ranges based on available evidence.
Reversed memory and learning deficits in cholinergically-lesioned rodents; not demonstrated in humans.
Increases choline uptake and acetylcholine in preclinical models.
The only human program (Phase-2 depression/anxiety) produced modest, unpublished results; benefits in people are unproven.
Sold grey-market as a research chemical — purity and dosing are not assured.
No published human efficacy data — do not rely on this compound for a clinical effect.
Theoretical interaction — coluracetam acts on the cholinergic system; combining with cholinesterase inhibitors or anticholinergics could alter acetylcholine signalling. No human interaction data exist.
Tip: Anecdotal among racetam users; add a choline source. Not characterized in human trials.
Tip: No human safety data — long-term effects are simply not characterized.
The best time to take Coluracetam (BCI-540) is in the morning. It can be taken on an empty stomach. No validated human dosing protocol exists.
Coluracetam (BCI-540) should be used with caution — talk to a healthcare provider before taking it. The most commonly reported side effects are headache, unknown long-term effects. Use caution if any of these apply to you: Pregnancy and breastfeeding; Any use without medical supervision — unapproved research chemical.
Modafinil
Mostly mechanism / observationalA prescription wakefulness-promoting drug (Provigil) approved for the excessive daytime sleepiness of narcolepsy, shift-work sleep disorder, and residual sleepiness in treated obstructive sleep apnea. Widely used off-label as a 'smart drug' for cognition, but the cognitive benefit in healthy people is modest and task-dependent — and it carries a rare but serious skin-reaction (SJS/TEN) warning. A prescription drug, not a supplement, and not a longevity drug.