It does appear that is one of the molecules that will help stimulate production [1] but to what degree I can not tell. This might make for some fun reading on PubMed. I take half of those things they list but have no way to measure it.
I would avoid commenting on the people down-voting you, that typically just makes it worse.
No idea. I really do not have a good way to measure this. I am also quite skeptical of things like IQ tests as a means for measuring such things. I've had some in depth discussions with a friend that is a psychoanalyst about these tests and have read up on them myself. My limited understanding is that they are mostly useful for putting a person into a range but getting exact numbers is not feasible, meaning that the tests giving a specific number is really just an approximation in a range and that also varies by which of the two standard tests is used.
If I could get something that could measure exact interaction response times of synapses then perhaps that might be a starting point. The equipment exists but doubt I could even afford the grey-market gear nor do I have a place to put it.
One might ask why I take these molecules if I can not measure efficacy. For me it's simple. They are relatively cheap and there are enough studied benefits that even if the gains are marginal I will find that an acceptable net gain in the big picture of my overall health.
I got some Lion's Mane capsules from Amazon (though I'm not sure how pure they are; for all I know they crushed up some whitecaps and put those in there). I started with 1/3 the recommended daily dose and started having slight headaches. That was the end of that experiment. :-(
It's BDNF. Lion's mane is just a supplement which promotes that, but there's other more effective ones. And of course the artificial ones are stronger (Noopept, Semax, ketamine).
>Ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist and putative antidepressant, may increase synaptic plasticity in prefrontal cortex through higher expression of BDNF. Furthermore, ketamine was shown to change resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC).
That is really fascinating! I wonder whether the lesions observed in chronic, heavy ketamine abuse are related to trophic effects.
A glance at search results sugget BNDF seems tighlty regulated, and linked to lesions in other rare conditions
(This makes me want to buy neuroscience books! Such an interesting field)
Maybe not in this case, however Lion's Mane is objectively helpful and has been shown in the literature to be so. Cultures have been eating it in dishes for centuries... As with all nootropics, it's usually better for those who are older.
I got some Lions Mane capsules, and tried taking them. The recommended dose is 3 capsules per day. I started with 1, but after a couple of days started having slight headaches. I didn't feel like continuing any more.
edit: haters will downvote me but look it up for yourself and upvote if you agree