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Research compound — not a dietary supplement
Fasoracetam 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 Fasoracetam studies are mechanism or observational rather than RCTs that measure a clinical effect — keep findings provisional.
Most evidence is from mixed-quality studies published 1997–2019 with a typical study size of 30 participants.
Based on 5 studies · 30 total participants
Confidence
LowBy outcome
Fasoracetam has an evidence score of 3.4/10 — emerging evidence based on 5 indexed studies, including 1 meta-analysis. A racetam-class nootropic (NS-105 / NFC-1) whose human evidence is unusually thin. It was originally developed in the 1990s as an oral drug for vascular dementia / cerebrovascular disease — that program was discontinued. It resurfaced for a narrow, mutation-selected indication: one small open-label study (Elia 2018, 30 adolescents) found symptom improvement in teens with ADHD who carry mutations in mGluR-network genes. The mechanism (mGluR modulation, GABA-B receptor upregulation, cholinergic anti-amnesic effects) is grounded in 1990s rat work. It is sold grey-market as a research chemical — not an approved drug, not a dietary supplement, and not a longevity compound. Representative study: PMID 31167583.
The commonly studied dose of Fasoracetam is No validated regimen. The single human study titrated up to 400 mg twice daily after single-dose profiling from 50–800 mg. This is research dosing in a study, not an established or approved protocol.. 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 5 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.
Fasoracetam (NS-105 / NFC-1) — racetam-class mGluR modulator
A racetam-class nootropic (NS-105 / NFC-1) whose human evidence is unusually thin. It was originally developed in the 1990s as an oral drug for vascular dementia / cerebrovascular disease — that program was discontinued. It resurfaced for a narrow, mutation-selected indication: one small open-label study (Elia 2018, 30 adolescents) found symptom improvement in teens with ADHD who carry mutations in mGluR-network genes. The mechanism (mGluR modulation, GABA-B receptor upregulation, cholinergic anti-amnesic effects) is grounded in 1990s rat work. It is sold grey-market as a research chemical — not an approved drug, not a dietary supplement, and not a longevity compound.
Fasoracetam's human evidence is one small (n=30), open-label, single-blind study in adolescents specifically selected for mGluR-network mutations — encouraging and mechanism-matched, but unreplicated and not generalizable to ADHD broadly. Its original vascular-dementia program was discontinued, the supporting mechanism is 1990s rodent work, and it is an unapproved grey-market research chemical with limited human safety data. That keeps it low.
Fasoracetam ((+)-5-oxo-D-prolinepiperidinamide monohydrate; development codes NS-105, LAM-105, and later NFC-1) is a racetam-class nootropic with one of the thinnest human evidence bases in this collection.
It was discovered and characterized in Japan in the 1990s and advanced into clinical development as an oral agent for vascular dementia and cerebrovascular disease — that original program was discontinued without showing the benefit needed to support approval, and fasoracetam was never marketed as a medicine.
Its preclinical pharmacology is the most solidly documented part of the story: in rat studies it reversed memory disruption across several cholinergic-lesion and amnesia models and increased cortical acetylcholine release and high-affinity choline uptake (Ogasawara 1999); it modulated adenylyl-cyclase activity through metabotropic glutamate (mGluR) receptors, identifying mGluR signaling as a core target (Oka 1997; Hirouchi 2000); and repeated dosing up-regulated GABA-B receptors in rat cortex, with antidepressant-like behavioral effects (Shimidzu 1997).
That mGluR mechanism is exactly why the compound was repurposed decades later.
Under the name NFC-1, fasoracetam was tested in a single small study (Elia et al., Nature Communications 2018): a 5-week, open-label, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 30 adolescents aged 12–17 with ADHD who carried mutations in mGluR-network genes (copy-number variants disrupting glutamatergic signaling).
Mutation-positive participants showed statistically significant improvement on clinician- and parent-rated ADHD scales.
This is a genuinely interesting, mechanism-matched result — but it is one small, open-label, single-blind study in a deliberately mutation-selected population, not a placebo-controlled efficacy trial in general ADHD, and it has not been replicated.
A 2019 systematic review of novel (non-stimulant) ADHD compounds (Nageye & Cortese) places fasoracetam among early, preliminary candidates rather than established treatments.
Fasoracetam is orally well-absorbed with high bioavailability and limited first-pass metabolism in animals, and early human pharmacokinetic work exists (it is renally cleared, with higher exposure in the elderly).
But it is not approved by any regulator, it is not a lawful dietary-supplement ingredient, and material sold online is an unregulated grey-market research chemical with no identity, purity, or long-term human safety guarantees.
The score is LOW: a coherent preclinical mGluR/cholinergic mechanism plus one small mutation-selected human pilot, set against a discontinued dementia program, no replication, no approval, and minimal human safety data.
Modulates metabotropic glutamate receptor signaling (adenylyl-cyclase coupling), the target that motivated its mutation-selected ADHD use.
Repeated dosing increased GABA-B receptor number in rat cortex, with antidepressant-like behavioral effects.
Increased cortical acetylcholine release and choline uptake; reversed memory disruption across rodent cholinergic-lesion models.
How Fasoracetam 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 validated regimen. The single human study titrated up to 400 mg twice daily after single-dose profiling from 50–800 mg. This is research dosing in a study, not an established or approved protocol.
Can be taken without food
| Form | Type |
|---|---|
| 💊None — fasoracetam is an unapproved research chemical with no validated form or regimen. | Recommended |
Grey-market powders/capsules vary in identity and purity; no pharmaceutical-grade product is approved.
Minimum: 4 weeks
Optimal: 5 weeks
Cycling: Not required
Note: The only human trial ran 5 weeks with symptom-driven titration. There is no established maintenance regimen.
Dose-response data unavailable. The current published research for Fasoracetam 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.
One small open-label study reported symptom improvement in adolescents with mGluR-network gene mutations — not shown in general ADHD.
Anti-amnesic and memory-protective in rodent cholinergic-dysfunction models; no controlled cognition trial in healthy humans.
Originally developed for vascular dementia / cerebrovascular disease; that program was discontinued without demonstrated benefit.
Not approved and not a supplement; sold grey-market with no purity guarantee and minimal long-term human safety data.
Only studied in a small supervised research setting selected for mGluR-network mutations — not a general ADHD treatment.
Renal clearance is reduced and drug exposure higher in the elderly — caution.
Combined CNS / glutamatergic-cholinergic activity has not been studied; interaction risk is unknown.
Additive, unstudied CNS effects.
Tip: Reported with racetams generally; human safety data for fasoracetam are limited.
Tip: Take with food; limited data.
Tip: Reduce dose; limited data.
The best time to take Fasoracetam is in the morning. It can be taken on an empty stomach. Orally well-absorbed in animals with limited first-pass metabolism.
Fasoracetam should be used with caution — talk to a healthcare provider before taking it. The most commonly reported side effects are headache, GI discomfort, fatigue / sedation. Use caution if any of these apply to you: Pregnancy and breastfeeding; Children/adolescents outside a supervised research setting; Renal impairment (renally cleared; higher exposure in the elderly).
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.