Acethylcholine is the most important neurotransmitter for brain regulation. It helps keep the brain balanced and organized.

A deficiency of Acethylcholine is known to cause the following symptoms:

• Cognitive impairment
• Brain fog
• Difficulty concentrating
• Poor decision making
• Intolerance to emotional stress
• Confusion
• Sleep problems
• Poor short term memory

Acethylcholine, right after a brain injury, rises dramatically and quickly in the brain and that might lead to a downregulation of the nicotinic receptors (the receptors that Acethylcholine binds to). A downregulation of nicotinic receptors which might be caused by excessive Acethylcholine release after a concussion might lead to the symptoms written above.

Acethylcholine is extremely important for cognition, as I've stated, and it's well known for lifting brain fog.

So, has anyone here tried Acethylcholine increasing supplements? If you did, did you notice an improvement in your recovery?

Thanks,
-ProAgonist

Pro,

Why are you asking about this when you have not even started the suggested vitamin and supplement regimen ? Most people start with the simple stuff before adding the more specific supplements.

One web site says this "Take a daily vitamin B complex supplement. Purchase a supplement that contains vitamin B1, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, all of which are critical to the synthesis of acetylcholine."

I'm asking because I've read online a bit about Acethylcholine and it sounds like this is the most important neurotransmitter to recovery for a concussed brain.

One of the main problems after a concussion is with brain regulation, and Acethylcholine is responsible for brain regulation, so it just makes sense that Acethylcholine supplements can help PCS sufferers.

If the brain can produce its own acetylcholine if it has the proper building blocks, why not give it those building blocks. Those building blocks also help other chemical systems. Oh yea, those building blocks are B12, B-6 and B-1.

It is always better to help the brain function properly than it is to short circuit the chemical systems with substances that take the place of the brain doing its job.

Choline is the precursor for making acetylcholine.

Foods remain the best source for this.
Here is a list:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-...000000-1w.html

You can see egg yolks are very high.

There are drugs called acetylcholine agonists... these are reserved for dementia patients. They have serious side effects including vomiting and diarrhea. I don't think you mean these.

Most lecithin supplements are omega-6's in an oil form, and that would skew your Omega-3 ratio further in favor of inflammation so are not a good idea.

Some health food stores sell lecithin granules, which you can use but they go stale very quickly. Deteriorate rapidly in hot environments. Keep in the frig therefore
http://www.drugstore.com/products/pr...la&kpid=320139

Foods high in choline are your best bet. Some children's vitamins now contain choline.
This is what Dr. Weil says about choline:
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03240/Choline.html

I would caution against eating beef brains however, as the risk of prion disease is too high. Liver also is problematic as toxins accumulate in liver.

Two eggs each morning would be very easy to do and very inexpensive, however. In the US we have Omega-3 eggs too...like Eggland's best.
http://www.egglandsbest.com/
But there are other brands now.

I wasn't talking about Acethylcholine agonists, I was talking about supplements that are responsible for the manufacturing of Acethylcholine.

Also, Acethylcholine agonists don't have to be medications for dementia. Nicotine is an Acethylcholine agonist, although it might have addictive properties so it shouldn't be used as a treatment.

Are there pills containing choline? (Like there are pills with Omega 3 or vitamins)

Most of the capsules contain soy oil... hence Omega-6

There is a supplement called phosphatidylserine:

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supple...phatidylserine

These are oral, but quite expensive. If you look on the net, you'll see one bottle of this costs more than all the other things you could be doing put together. You can get choline from eggs and your body will make your own for you.

There is a thought that ADHD can come from low choline levels, during pregnancy and infancy from poor nutrition. But people who eat eggs and broccoli etc, would not be low as a rule.

Eggs and nuts/seeds are called germinal foods. That means they are packed with terrific nutrients to start a new life form.
Hence they are extremely valuable in the diet.

This is a new article explaining the relationship between DHA and PS....

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24992464

useful info - thx!

so would you say that if you have a healthy diet that phosphatidylserine and acetyl l-carnitine supplements are unnecessary?

fyi i've been eating daily 3+ eggs, walnuts, almonds, brazils (max 2 a day), hazels, seeds of shelled hemp, chia, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, plus loads of broccoli, spinach, avocado, tomatoes (generally in paste form as in fact more nutritious that way), carrots, peppers, garlic, olive oil, zero dairy, with only sugar coming from blueberries (packed with anti-oxidants) & kiwis (after each meal as good for protein digestion) etc etc each day for years.

Btw had my B-12, D and Folic tested the other day and only D was ever so slightly down due in main to the fact that I don't go in the sun enough i think, anyhow am taking some D3 supplement at the mo to boost (5000 but maybe that's too much? any advice appreciated), my Folic was in fact above normal levels due to my v high veg intake. many thanks

It is difficult to say. This is because each person has a different genetic makeup. The MS'ers have Terry Wahls in their camp who turned her crippling MS around (she is a doctor herself) by doing a special diet. She has written a book called "Minding your Mitochondria". It is high veggie intake also.
http://www.amazon.com/Minding-Mitoch...r.+terry+wahls
She also has a TED lecture available online.
The PD forum and MS forum here (and sometimes PN forum) also mention her from time to time.

So basically no "one size fits all" diet can be said to work to everyone equally. Your food choices look really good. Healing requires minerals (zinc and magnesium), quality protein, Omega-3's, antioxidants, etc and your diet changes should be very helpful.

Avoidance of glutamate in the form of MSG and the harmful transfats, and too much sugar, is also a good idea.