Comment · Fri, June 20, 2014 · Ceretropic
The 'blood-brain barrier' vs. nootropics...why should they work?
Original post in this thread
bloodbrain1 · 1 points
I just read this article about the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in New Scientist and this phrase stood out: "The downside of this is that the BBB also completely blocks the vast majority of drugs. Exceptions include some classes of fat and lipid-soluble chemicals, but these aren't much help as such drugs penetrate every cell in the body – resulting in major side effects." How do we reconcile this with the observation that many nootropics and other drugs have effects on the brain?
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22229742.400-human-brains-ultimate-barrier-to-open-for-first-time.html#.U6HGt_ldXuQ?utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=SOC&utm_campaign=twitter&cmpid=SOC%7CNSNS%7C2012-GLOBAL-twitter
What they were answering
killword-noot · 1 points
Thanks, it seems a lot of the studies both papers mention are not on humans or don't show that concentrations exceed that of an equivalent intravenous dose, but there were some so I guess it's pretty much accepted that it occurs now.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic
Yeah, the jury is still out. But they are trying to target it for at least somewhat of a bypass of the BBB. I don't really see it being 100% efficient, though. We do know that people have died from getting pond water in their nasal cavities, allowing amoebae into their brains. So we know that at least some bypasses it. That is why a lot of people warn against Neti pots. But whether that action exists for all substances, or only a few, requires more data.