You want to feel calm and happy with life; content but also focused, right? For that you’ll need the help of your neurotransmitters. What are neurotransmitters? They are molecules that constantly convey messages between our nerve cells. This IV was designed to help you attain optimal neurotransmitter function. It provides important B vitamins which play key roles in the formation and breakdown of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine as well as vitamin C which helps produce norepinephrine. To help maintain a calm focus, GPC is added to the mix. And magnesium and taurine will help you stay mellow and relaxed.

Ingredients

Science

Glycerophosphocholine (GPC also known at Apha-GPC) is a very well studied naturally occurring compound which is part of every cell as well as mother’s milk. It is a precursor to acetylcholine (Ach) and it crosses the “blood brain barrier”—in other words it can work in the brain itself to increase levels of acetylcholine almost immediately.

This is important because Ach is a key player in your autonomic nervous system the part that governs unconscious activities like heart rate, breathing, bowel, kidney and bladder function and even muscle contraction. In the brain Ach pathways also control arousal, plasticity of the brain, reward, sensory perception, and sustained attention. This neurotransmitter has also been shown to promote REM sleep (2). Damage to the cholinergic (acetylcholine-producing) system in the brain has been shown to be associated with the memory deficits seen in Alzheimer’s disease (1). Maintaining healthy levels of Ach is thus very beneficial for the overall healthy functioning of the entire body especially the brain and getting enough GPC helps you do just that.

Other neurotransmitters involved in reward, cravings, pleasure, energy and attention are serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Vitamin C is important in the conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine. The manufacture and breakdown of these neurotransmitters also depends on methylation and energy production. Most of the B-vitamins but especially B2, B6 and B12 play a crucial role in both the production of energy in the TCA cycle and in the methylation cycle.

Taurine is classified by many as an amino acid, although, it is technically not one of the 22 amino acid building blocks of protein. It has a very broad role in the body. For example it helps with bile acid conjugation, membrane stabilization, inhibitory neurotransmission (think anti-anxiety) and neuro-protection. In one study taurine was shown to decrease the impulse to drink alcohol. (3) It also plays a role as an antioxidant, blood pressure regulator and in the regulation of dangerous cholesterol particles involved in atherosclerosis.

Magnesium is a mineral with a wide variety of functions. It participates in over 300 metabolic reactions. It is a key element in the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin. It also causes immediate muscle relaxation. When you experience anything that’s tight or stiff—including your mood—it’s likely low levels of magnesium are a contributing factor.

References

1. Francis PT, Palmer AM, Snape M, Wilcock GK. The cholinergic hypothesis of Alzheimer’s disease: a review of progress. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 66(2), 137-147.
2. Platt B, Riedel G. The cholinergic system, EEG and sleep. Behavioural brain research, 221(2), 499-504.
3. Olive, MF. Interactions between taurine and ethanol in the central nervous system. Amino acids, 23(4), 345-357.
4. Slattery J, Kumar N, Delhey L, Berk M, Dean O, Spielholz C, Frye R. Clinical trials of N-acetylcysteine in psychiatry and neurology: A systematic review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.