Agmatine
Other names Agmatine Sulfate
Agmatine is considered by many users as a mood-booster and spatial memory enhancer. But how science-backed is it really? Read on to find out.
This nootropic has no healthy human placebo-controlled studies that meet our inclusion criteria. Negative side effects can occur if used carelessly, so make sure you’re aware of the risks of Agmatine.
Benefits
Read about the effects of Agmatine in relation to the amount of evidence we've found
Will agmatine improve your mood?
In three people with major depressive disorder, 2-3mg of agmatine for 3-4 weeks had beneficial anti-depressant effects [1]. It is unclear from this study what form of agmatine was used. It does not appear to have been agmatine sulfate, which is the commonly supplemented form.
In another study, agmatine sulfate reduced pain and improved quality of life in people with neuropathic pain [2]. This study is the best evidence available as regards what effects agmatine might have in healthy humans, but it is also quite limited by the fact that the 99 people who participated in the study had severe pain, so the quality of life improvements may be thanks to the pain-relieving effects of agmatine. The study authors hypothesized that agmatine helped in the recovery process for the specific injury that participants suffered from. This indicates that the pain-relieving effects noted are likely not generalizable to other sorts of pain. The transferability of the quality of life improvements seen in this study to people without this specific injury is therefore low, meaning that these findings on their own are not practically useful for healthy humans looking to understand if agmatine can boost their mood.
Several animal studies have shown anti-depressant effects from agmatine sulfate administration [3][4].
The studies that do exist on the effects of agmatine on mood have shown promising results. However, they are not in healthy humans and have not shown enhancement effects from a normal baseline, but effects toward baseline from depressed states. The generalizability, and transferability of the findings to healthy humans, is low. Currently, no evidence-backed conclusions can be provided with good confidence as regards whether or not agmatine is an effective mood booster in healthy humans.
Can agmatine enhance your spatial memory?
"It has been detected in axon terminals that synapse with pyramidal cells in the hippocampus, a brain region that is critically involved in spatial learning and memory. However, the role of agmatine in learning and memory is poorly understood." [5]
The evidence available on how agmatine is involved in spatial learning and memory formation as well as in the recall of learned spatial information is of low relevance to healthy humans who might want to use agmatine for cognitive enhancement purposes since it comes only from animal studies. This information is presented here for educational purposes, not as an endorsement of agmatine for use as a nootropic since the evidence for its effectiveness as such is next to non-existent.
Agmatine appears to be involved in spatial learning in rats [6].
What has been found in several studies is that groups of rats who have trained in a spatial learning task have increased levels of endogenous (produced-by-the-body) agmatine in the hippocampus, a brain area involved in spatial learning and memory when compared with rats that haven't trained in such a task before. This might mean that agmatine is crucial in the recall of previously learned spatial information, or that it impairs the learning of new spatial information.
The research on agmatine's effects on spatial learning and memory is very preliminary. It does not appear to be the case that agmatine simply "boosts" spatial learning or memory. Instead, agmatine's involvement in learning and memory is complex, and supplemental ingestion might have both positive or negative effects. More high-quality data on its effects in healthy humans is needed.
For anecdotal reports from people who have used agmatine, see the FAQ's below.
Risks
The legality and side effects of Agmatine
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Agmatine
Studies
Studies conducted on the effects of Agmatine in healthy humans
Last updated Saturday, June 10, 2023