4029 replies to this topic

[OpaqueMind]

Wow LF you have been busy! Of all the interventions thus far tried which would you say confers the greatest benefits, that is, which would you recommend first and foremost? The cost of many mechanical interventions is somewhat inhibitive, which is unfortunate as I'm coming round to the idea that these are where potent nootropic benefits lie. Although because of the success I have experienced with LLLT, I am very willing to channel more resources into these areas of research.

Along with the relative homogeneity with which they should theoretically act due to the similarity of the physiological structures involved - as opposed to the disparity between specific chemical systems in individuals - this effect also seems to also induce a more complete effect profile. The holistic approach used here seems vastly superior to the tweaking of minor systems and painstaking observation and data collection, often just to reveal inconclusive results.

Thanks for all the papers by the way, some very interesting topics there! I just started reading the paper on Hierarchical Temporal Memory, very, very interesting to say the least

[OpaqueMind]

By the way LF, if you don't mind saying, how old are you? I'm wondering purely because of your interest in steroid hormone related supplements like pregnenolone and DHEA, and the tendency for these to decline with age. Doing a bit of research, some interesting things have popped up. One is that it seems quite a few of the great men of history were celibate or were known to have all-consuming sexual/romantic energy or desire. Newton is famously an example of the first, Goethe of the second (think 'Sorrows of young Werther', a book modelled on his own rapturous intoxication with a certain enchantress, written entirely in stream-of-consciousness fashion). This could be symptomatic of increased testosterone levels in the body, as a primary determinant of the male libido.

Two examples do not conclusive proof make, but as a historical and biological trend it certainly has some validity. I've experienced this myself, abstaining for periods from any sort of sexual satisfaction (from self or another) and experienced substantially increased energy and creativity. Abstinence is known to increase androgen receptor density, to what degree I'm not sure, but that probably plays a part in the effects seen from abstinence. Perhaps further chemical augmentations of T levels will yield, up to a point, increasing mental benefits. Considering that a 1000ng/ml of T is medically considered the upper healthy limit and the average healthy 20 year old is around 650ng/ml, I'd say there is much room for improvement in most everyone. Whether or not benefits will actually emerge remains to be seen, could well be worth investigation though.

To delve deeper into the realms of speculation - The idea of sexual transmutation, the conversion of sexual energy from its physical expression into more productive avenues could have some relevance here. Buddhist monks have practiced celibacy for centuries, in order to channel these potent forces into accelerated spiritual development and the cultivation of higher levels of consciousness. The most sexual creatures I have encountered have been the most brimming with vitality and exuberance, a literal lust for life. As essentially energetic beings, and as sexuality being one of the most potent driving, energetic forces in the collective psyche of humankind, it makes sense that it could be sublimated for higher purposes, and if it were so that it would infuse whatever endeavour attempted with a hitherto unkown explosive energy. I believe Freud had something to say about that, but I'm not too up on my Sigmund to be honest.

Anyway, I'd be interested if you had any input on the subject LF; your contributions are always appreciated.

[lostfalco]

Wow LF you have been busy! Of all the interventions thus far tried which would you say confers the greatest benefits, that is, which would you recommend first and foremost? The cost of many mechanical interventions is somewhat inhibitive, which is unfortunate as I'm coming round to the idea that these are where potent nootropic benefits lie. Although because of the success I have experienced with LLLT, I am very willing to channel more resources into these areas of research.

Along with the relative homogeneity with which they should theoretically act due to the similarity of the physiological structures involved - as opposed to the disparity between specific chemical systems in individuals - this effect also seems to also induce a more complete effect profile. The holistic approach used here seems vastly superior to the tweaking of minor systems and painstaking observation and data collection, often just to reveal inconclusive results.

Thanks for all the papers by the way, some very interesting topics there! I just started reading the paper on Hierarchical Temporal Memory, very, very interesting to say the least :happy:

Hey Opaque! I'm glad you found some helpful ideas in my ramblings.

My Number One Nootropic: Armodafinil (Modafinil is also excellent, Adrafinil not as good for me)
Reason: I went from 8.5 hours of sleep per night plus a 20 minute nap to 6 hours of sleep per night with no naps. An extra 2.5 hours of wakeful energy per day has been amazing.
My Guiding Principle: use energy to create energy. I decided to start by figuring out what the number one smart drug was and then use the enhancement caused by that smart drug to study other noots. Kind of a virtuous feedback loop, if you will. Anders Sanberg has said that modafinil is the best and I think he's right.
Relationship to the Oft Mentioned "Limitless" (spoiler alert!): The best part of the movie in my opinion is the part at the end where he is taking zero drugs. My ultimate goal is to take as few things as possible. This is the reason that my stack does not consist of 14 different pharmaceuticals. Interactions and measurements become increasingly unpredictable as the number of substances increase.
Justification for All My Experiments: obviously, the first question that probably comes to mind is this: If you believe in taking a minimal number of things then why are you trying EVERYTHING? Answer: I start with what I think is most fundamental and then build on that foundation over time. I pretty much take life on modafinil as my new baseline and everything else is judged on how it interacts with moda. I take one and only one 150mg armodafinil in the morning and then listen to my body very closely the rest of the day. If I'm tired, I rest. When I feel sleepy, I go to bed. You will never see me attempt a 60 hour straight sleepless experiment (unless the face eating zombie apocalypse begins). Additionally, most of my experiments are short term. Most healthy people are going to be fine trying Vasopressin once (not all, however...there is risk). If you take it every day then you are probably going to run into serious problems. I take moda daily because it's extremely well studied, has low addiction potential, and enhances my quality of life significantly. Almost nothing has been studied for 30+ years in a rigorous manner, so I am also taking risks here. Will I get brain cancer at 62? Possibly. I realize that I have to acknowledge this and weigh my decisions accordingly.

On the Virtues of Devices
That's awesome that you've had success with low level laser therapy. I love it. It's so damn tempting to shave my head...I'm seriously considering it.

Reasons that Devices Freaking Own: 1) specificity, 2) much lower potential for tolerance. Specificity: molecules and drugs usually have MANY different roles in the body. If you want to target your dlpfc there is NO better way than running a current across it or enhancing it with light. You don't rev up your entire system or deal with as many complications (though there are still some). Tolerance: our bodies are adaptation machines. Dawkins talks about the evolution of evolvability and epigenetics is showing how insanely fast the information content of our bodies can change in response to environment. I think of humans as this: continually expressing information patterns (word tenses chosen intentionally). What's crazy is that not only are we continuously being recreated (we are more like a river than an unchanging structure), but the underlying information itself is constantly changing (mainly your epigenome since your DNA doesn't change much over the course of your lifetime). Mother nature is a ruthless optimizer. If not used, then discarded. If getting nutrient from diet, then stop making endogenously (just ask any bodybuilder about the size of his raisonettes). Devices can often (not always) be used to get around this. There is virtually no way for my body to significantly adapt to a vibration plate that increases blood flow to my brain (although nature is crafty and my tiny mammalian brain is not that smart so I could be wrong). Hmmm...I should end this treatise now. =)

[lostfalco]

Wow LF you have been busy! Of all the interventions thus far tried which would you say confers the greatest benefits, that is, which would you recommend first and foremost? The cost of many mechanical interventions is somewhat inhibitive, which is unfortunate as I'm coming round to the idea that these are where potent nootropic benefits lie. Although because of the success I have experienced with LLLT, I am very willing to channel more resources into these areas of research.

Along with the relative homogeneity with which they should theoretically act due to the similarity of the physiological structures involved - as opposed to the disparity between specific chemical systems in individuals - this effect also seems to also induce a more complete effect profile. The holistic approach used here seems vastly superior to the tweaking of minor systems and painstaking observation and data collection, often just to reveal inconclusive results.

Thanks for all the papers by the way, some very interesting topics there! I just started reading the paper on Hierarchical Temporal Memory, very, very interesting to say the least :happy:

For an inexpensive trial run of tDCS try this device. http://tdcs-kit.com/ Huge thanks to alexburke in this thread for sharing this. http://www.longecity...d/page__st__300

They have a USB version and a 9-volt version each for only $25 a piece and it looks like you're stuck with only the 2ma option...but that is the most studied so it's a great starter option, if it works. (Note: I haven't tried this version but I'm a huge tDCS fan)

Dude, I love that you checked out Hawkins' paper. It kind of harkens back to what I was saying about memory being re-creation. You rebuild memories from tiny parts at the bottom of the pyramid. I'm def gonna keep following the work of Hawkins and Numenta.

[chris106]

Hey Lostfalco

I hope you don't mind me asking, but have you not encountered any side-effects from daily (Ar)modafinil use? I guess my problem with it is that It often stops working in the afternoon, and when taking more too late in the day, I tend to get into a cycle of sleep deprivation that potentiates itself overtime.

But that's just me not being responsible with it, more importantly though - did you also experience loss of libido and emotional bluntness as side effects? Cause there are many reports of this from users over the net, and I experienced that as well. HOWEVER, those may just be secondary side-effects from the sleep loss due to irresponsible use, and not from (Ar)modafinil itself...

So what's your take on that?

(By the way, I don't mean to bash it - I second learning about other Nootropics when on Modafinil - I Got more facts into my head regarding this topic in two weeks when I was on the stuff than in the following two months, when I was not. Sure glad my next batch arrives next week )

Edited by chris106, 22 June 2013 - 09:34 PM.

[lostfalco]

Hey Lostfalco

I hope you don't mind me asking, but have you not encountered any side-effects from daily (Ar)modafinil use? I guess my problem with it is that It often stops working in the afternoon, and when taking more too late in the day, I tend to get into a cycle of sleep deprivation that potentiates itself overtime.

But that's just me not being responsible with it, more importantly though - did you also experience loss of libido and emotional bluntness as side effects? Cause there are many reports of this from users over the net, and I experienced that as well. HOWEVER, those may just be secondary side-effects from the sleep loss due to irresponsible use, and not from (Ar)modafinil itself...

So what's your take on that?

(By the way, I don't mean to bash it - I second learning about other Nootropics when on Modafinil - I Got more facts into my head regarding this topic in two weeks when I was on the stuff than in the following two months, when I was not. Sure glad my next batch arrives next week :) )

Hey Chris, I don't mind you asking at all.

I've been on some form of modafinil every day since last August...so, 10 months now. I take it first thing in the morning when I wake up and that's it. If I ever start getting tired at 10pm, then I'll start going to bed at 10. I really try to pay close attention to my body and not force anything.

I also make sure I meditate 20 minutes everyday, no matter what. I'm revving up my system with a prescription medication and so I think it's especially important that I include time where I am doing nothing but relaxing. I think these rules have helped me stay on it for so long without any problems so far.

As far as taking it later in the day...I know a lot of people will take half in the morning and half at lunch. I was actually planning on doing that originally but I just started off taking the recommended dose in the morning and it has worked so well that I've stuck with it (it does have a 12-15 hour half-life, after all). I may try to divide it up at some point, but for now I feel good and I'm sleeping well so I don't see any reason to mess with it.

I think my libido has remained intact because of good diet. I eat a lot of fat (see BP Coffee for more info) and protein. I think different foods cause different hormonal responses and that fat and protein are pretty good at keeping my testosterone levels high. I definitely don't want this thread to turn into a diet/nutrition discussion though. I'm just sharing my opinions. =)

I did feel a little emotional dullness, but it was nothing serious and I noticed that it was completely ameliorated when I started taking pregnenolone.

So far so good.

[chung_pao]

Just doing some research and thought I would share. Here's Ray Kurzweil's brain supplement stack from chapter 1 of his book Transcend (2009). He's kinda smart (I think 'genius' applies here) so I take anything he says seriously (even if I don't always agree).

Vinpocetine 10mg 2x/day
Phosphatidylserine 100mg 2x/day for 1 month, 100mg/day thereafter
ALCAR 500-1000mg 2x/day
Ginko biloba 80-120mg 2x/day
EPA/DHA 1000-3000mg EPA/day; 700-2000mg DHA/day
Phosphatidylcholine 900mg 2-4x/day
SAMe 200-400mg 2x/day

Oi Lostfalco!
Interesting spoiler from his book.
What I'm more interested in is... what does he EAT? Is that in the book?
Diet is definitely the most significant regulator of my cognitive function, and I know these "eccentrics" usually have their diets figured out in detail, or at least very strong opinions on what to eat.

Take Dmitry Itskov of 2045 for example: "Itskov maintains a strict diet -- no meat, fish, coffee, alcohol or cold water -- but not because he's afraid of high blood pressure or heart disease. In fact, he's convinced we’ll all live forever."

Have you noticed any side-effects from Modafinil? I know, despite the 12-15h half-life, that it absolutely destroys my hormonal levels, even if taken in the morning. Probably due to inhibited deep sleep. Tried it without the morning BP coffee? I remember the high intake of fat having a remarkably alleviating effect on my different stimulant withdrawals (deprenyl, modafinil). A wild hypothesis is that an intake of certain fatty acids+protein can restore receptor regulation, after stimulants causing a downregulation.

Btw, can you provide us with a list of your current supplement and diet plan? I ask this because I know you're a well informed guy, and a lot of us share your goals.

Edited by chung_pao, 22 June 2013 - 11:59 PM.

[lostfalco]

More Russian Peptide Info

The basic concept is that certain short peptide chains (generally 3-5 amino acids long) go into promoter sites and cause gene expression. Professor Vladimir Khavinson claims to have isolated over 100 of these chains and tested them on millions of people over the past 35 years with no side effects.

Here's Prof. Vladimir Khavinson's homepage. http://www.khavinson.ru/

Here's an excellent summary of the concept of peptide bioregulators. http://www.khavinson...ation-of-ageing

Here's a full-text pdf on the effects of peptide bioregulator Pinealon in Wistar rats. http://www.khavinson...on_Ribakova.pdf

Edited by lostfalco, 23 June 2013 - 01:21 AM.

[lostfalco]

Short video by Dr. William Tyler on Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation and how it causes neurotransmitter release.

A video showing transcranial doppler being performed on a patient (just to show that I'm not too crazy for shooting ultrasonic sound waves into my brain).

[chris106]

I did feel a little emotional dullness, but it was nothing serious and I noticed that it was completely ameliorated when I started taking pregnenolone.

Pregnenolone seems very interesting! I think my problems are at least partially due to not enough testosterone or general hormonal imbalance. Now I just have to find out the root of those problems. Today I had astonishing results with 150mg of DHEA after feeling shitty for days... But I digress -

How much Pregnenolone do you take and for how long have you been supplementing with it? Do you stack DHEA with it as well, since they are supposed to be synergistic?
And which brand of Preg do you use?

Again sorry for asking so many questions, but (reliable) information on Pregnenolone is pretty sparce compared to most other supplements... >_<'

[lostfalco]

By the way LF, if you don't mind saying, how old are you? I'm wondering purely because of your interest in steroid hormone related supplements like pregnenolone and DHEA, and the tendency for these to decline with age. Doing a bit of research, some interesting things have popped up. One is that it seems quite a few of the great men of history were celibate or were known to have all-consuming sexual/romantic energy or desire. Newton is famously an example of the first, Goethe of the second (think 'Sorrows of young Werther', a book modelled on his own rapturous intoxication with a certain enchantress, written entirely in stream-of-consciousness fashion). This could be symptomatic of increased testosterone levels in the body, as a primary determinant of the male libido.

Two examples do not conclusive proof make, but as a historical and biological trend it certainly has some validity. I've experienced this myself, abstaining for periods from any sort of sexual satisfaction (from self or another) and experienced substantially increased energy and creativity. Abstinence is known to increase androgen receptor density, to what degree I'm not sure, but that probably plays a part in the effects seen from abstinence. Perhaps further chemical augmentations of T levels will yield, up to a point, increasing mental benefits. Considering that a 1000ng/ml of T is medically considered the upper healthy limit and the average healthy 20 year old is around 650ng/ml, I'd say there is much room for improvement in most everyone. Whether or not benefits will actually emerge remains to be seen, could well be worth investigation though.

To delve deeper into the realms of speculation - The idea of sexual transmutation, the conversion of sexual energy from its physical expression into more productive avenues could have some relevance here. Buddhist monks have practiced celibacy for centuries, in order to channel these potent forces into accelerated spiritual development and the cultivation of higher levels of consciousness. The most sexual creatures I have encountered have been the most brimming with vitality and exuberance, a literal lust for life. As essentially energetic beings, and as sexuality being one of the most potent driving, energetic forces in the collective psyche of humankind, it makes sense that it could be sublimated for higher purposes, and if it were so that it would infuse whatever endeavour attempted with a hitherto unkown explosive energy. I believe Freud had something to say about that, but I'm not too up on my Sigmund to be honest.

Anyway, I'd be interested if you had any input on the subject LF; your contributions are always appreciated.

I'm in the 25-35 year old age bracket. My brain is fully developed but not significantly declining yet...hence, the perfect time to pursue long term optimization and atrophy prevention until I die on January 1st, 2060. =)

My interest in neurosteroids stems from my desire to go through as many of the major categories of brain enhancement as I can...light, oxygen, water, fat, protein, glucose, neuropeptides, neurosteroids, epigenetics, electricity, magnetism, ultrasound, etc.

I'm also approaching it from the opposite direction and looking into removing everything that is unnecessary or detrimental.

I think there is definitely something to abstaining from certain things in order to increase your own production or sensitize your body to that substance when it is reintroduced. I think it's very possible that testosterone falls into this category. This is also part of the justification for fasting or for going an occasional day with zero protein, etc. Anyway, Napoleon Hill of "Think and Grow Rich" fame agrees with you. I'm still working through my thoughts here.

[lostfalco]

Wow, a one minute LED cylinder that helps relieve amputee pain and speed up stump healing. Seriously, this thing looks like it's directly out of Star Trek. I want one for my brain! http://blog.thorlase...at-harvard-mit/

[lostfalco]

Just doing some research and thought I would share. Here's Ray Kurzweil's brain supplement stack from chapter 1 of his book Transcend (2009). He's kinda smart (I think 'genius' applies here) so I take anything he says seriously (even if I don't always agree).

Vinpocetine 10mg 2x/day
Phosphatidylserine 100mg 2x/day for 1 month, 100mg/day thereafter
ALCAR 500-1000mg 2x/day
Ginko biloba 80-120mg 2x/day
EPA/DHA 1000-3000mg EPA/day; 700-2000mg DHA/day
Phosphatidylcholine 900mg 2-4x/day
SAMe 200-400mg 2x/day

Oi Lostfalco!
Interesting spoiler from his book.
What I'm more interested in is... what does he EAT? Is that in the book?
Diet is definitely the most significant regulator of my cognitive function, and I know these "eccentrics" usually have their diets figured out in detail, or at least very strong opinions on what to eat.

Take Dmitry Itskov of 2045 for example: "Itskov maintains a strict diet -- no meat, fish, coffee, alcohol or cold water -- but not because he's afraid of high blood pressure or heart disease. In fact, he's convinced we’ll all live forever."

Have you noticed any side-effects from Modafinil? I know, despite the 12-15h half-life, that it absolutely destroys my hormonal levels, even if taken in the morning. Probably due to inhibited deep sleep. Tried it without the morning BP coffee? I remember the high intake of fat having a remarkably alleviating effect on my different stimulant withdrawals (deprenyl, modafinil). A wild hypothesis is that an intake of certain fatty acids+protein can restore receptor regulation, after stimulants causing a downregulation.

Btw, can you provide us with a list of your current supplement and diet plan? I ask this because I know you're a well informed guy, and a lot of us share your goals.

Hey Chung, what's up man?

Yeah, Kurzweil and Grossman go into a lot of detail about their dietary recommendations. I'd sum it up, but that's pretty much what the whole book is about...we'd probably be here a while. =)

I've had no complications on Modafinil and yeah, I've been on BP Coffee the whole time.

I'm currently in the process of reassessing and tweaking all of my dietary choices. I kind of feel like that's a discussion for another thread...hmmm, maybe I'll start one. As you know, one of my guiding principles is to focus on the most fundamental things first. I'm sort of surprised that more people don't thoroughly consider the things they consume the most first: air, water, light, sound, smells, and food (these categories are imperfect and not necessarily in order...though close). People seem to focus so much time on food and vitamins in particular (which is actually just a very small subcategory of food). When you think about how much air and water and light you consume (I know you don't technically 'consume' light, but you get the idea) it becomes evident why taking one tiny supplement or pill doesn't always work. It's a miniscule fraction of what you are consuming.

Thoughts on Air: I've already added an oxygen concentrator and scented oils and now I'm looking into hyberbaric chambers or hyperoxic tents. Altitude training/sleeping (10-14 hrs/day) causes your body to adapt by making more EPO and thus more red blood cells (erythropoesis). Here's a quote from the wiki on EPO "Multiple studies have suggested that EPO improves memory. This effect is independent of its effect on hematocrit.^[6][7] Rather, it is associated with an increase in hippocampal response and effects on synaptic connectivity, neuronal plasticity, and memory-related neural networks.^[8][9] EPO may also be an effective treatment for depression.^[7][10]" Of course, I'm also looking into the drug EPO (anybody have Lance's phone number?). If you are diligent about monitoring your red blood cell levels and you don't over do it, EPO is actually pretty safe. People run into trouble when they use too much, get too many red blood cells, thicken their blood, and die. Check out this AWESOME book for more info. http://www.amazon.co...uman capacities The audio book is much cheaper ($27). http://www.audible.c...72136461&sr=1-1
Hypoxic Tents: http://www.hypoxico....-products.shtml
Elevation Training Mask (unfortunately, I don't think this will stimulate endogenous EPO): http://www.amazon.co...s=altitude mask
I'm also looking into Nicergoline. "Nicergoline works by activating the brain’s metabolism and increasing arterial flow, lowering vascular resistance and improving the use of glucose and oxygen. The effect of this is improved mental agility, clarity, perception and concentration." http://www.antiaging...128-nicergoline I've got pure glucose http://www.amazon.co...eywords=glucose and I've got a concentrator, throw in some nicergoline, hop on the vibration plate for 10 minutes and then study for 10 hours. So, hypoxic tent (14 hours) + concentrated oxygen (3 minute sips every 10 min) + nicergoline + glucose. We'll see what happens.

Note: vinpocetine + vibration plate was awesome. I had energy for hours afterward.

The other thing I really need to work on more is thinking through what I eliminate. I've got a big ol' tome on mycotoxins sitting on my desk and I've been looking at the role of ultraviolet light in killing air and water pathogens. Much more to be done here on my part.

Alright, that's enough for now. I'd love to hear your thoughts Chung!

[lostfalco]

I did feel a little emotional dullness, but it was nothing serious and I noticed that it was completely ameliorated when I started taking pregnenolone.

Pregnenolone seems very interesting! I think my problems are at least partially due to not enough testosterone or general hormonal imbalance. Now I just have to find out the root of those problems. Today I had astonishing results with 150mg of DHEA after feeling shitty for days... But I digress -

How much Pregnenolone do you take and for how long have you been supplementing with it? Do you stack DHEA with it as well, since they are supposed to be synergistic?
And which brand of Preg do you use?

Again sorry for asking so many questions, but (reliable) information on Pregnenolone is pretty sparce compared to most other supplements... >_<'

No worries about the questions...I've got too many to count.

I use this pregnenolone but I wouldn't start at this high of a dose. http://www.amazon.co...ds=pregnenolone

Preg is very stimulating at first. Start low and build up. Try 25mg in the morning for a week or two, then 25mg in the morning and 25mg at lunch for a week or two, then 50mg morn + 25mg lunch, then 50mg morn + 50mg lunch, and so on....

Preg has been tested in humans up to 700mg per day with few problems. A number of studies have used 500mg per day for 8 weeks and one study had 5 patients take 500mg per day for 3+ years with very few problems. These were schizophrenia patients, however. Here's some research I did over a month ago.

"Since there's so much conflicting info on the internet about dosing, I went to the university library near my apartment today and looked up the official dosing used in various studies. Here's what I found. All the numbers are daily amounts usually half taken in the morning and half taken at lunch.

Escalating dose: 100mg (2wks), 300mg (2wks), 500mg (4wks) (Marx, 2009)
100mg for 8 weeks or 500mg for 8 weeks (Savitz, 2010); 5 of the patients took 500mg daily for 3 years
30mg for 8 weeks or 200mg for 8 weeks (Ritsner, 2010)
There were no major side effects reported and the conclusion was that 500mg/day was well tolerated...(Marx, 2009); (Savitz, 2010); (Freeman, 1950); (McGavack, 1951)

Anyway, most of the beneficial effects were reported at the highest dose but obviously this is a very limited set of studies. Additionally, these almost all dealt with schizophrenia patients. So, that's what I found. Weekly escalation might be a thought, but long term safety is based on only 5 patients. That's where the info stands right now.

The next question I looked up was DHEA. It is one of the other major neurosteroids and has been reported to have mood and attention enhancing effects.

200mg for 6 weeks (Ritner, 2006)
150mg for 12 weeks (Strous, 2007)
These last four are per wikipedia, so verification is needed.
200mg for 24 weeks (Chang, 2002)
400mg for 8 weeks (Rabkin, 2006)
50mg for 12 months (Brooke, 2006)
50mg for 10 months (Villareal, 2006)

As you can see, these dosages are pretty high. Again, reported side effects were minimal (but not non-existent)."

Just as a counterpoint, look up the work of Ray Sahelian. He recommends at most 5mg per day at 5 days max with 2 days off. http://www.raysaheli...egnenolone.html

Here are some very interesting articles on pregnenolone that I've compiled.
http://www.kurzweila...-mental-decline
http://molpharm.aspe.../mol.113.085696 (the Full Text PDF is on the right hand side of this page)
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/21756978
http://www.life-enha...th-pregnenolone
http://www.life-enha...nenolone-review

Keep me updated on how pregnenolone goes for you Chris. If you choose to take DHEA as well, start with 25mg preg and 25mg dhea at most to test tolerance before increasing dosages. Disclaimer: you know the routine. =)

[chris106]

Wow, thanks for your elaborate answer, Lostfalco - much appreciated!

I am currently taking 200 mg of DHEA in the morning (so more on the high end here, started with 50mg though), noticing only moderate effects and no side-effects...(might as well be placebo at this point).
Then again, it might well be that I don't see major effects just because I just don't need to supplement with it. Either that, or I ordered scam :/

However, will continue the DHEA for the time being, but I guess I'll be going back to 50mg a day - seems safer, no? Now I'm waiting for my Modafinil to arrive and will odrer Pregnenolone ASAP.

Thanks for the links, too! It's great to see that at least a few studies have been done with Pregnenolone

I will report back as soon as I see results with these compounds!

Edited by chris106, 25 June 2013 - 09:02 AM.

[lostfalco]

Great new two page article on low level laser therapy by the godmother herself, Tiina Karu. She basically summarizes all of the numerous recent successes and argues that it should be considered a drug equivalent. Also, looks like the official term has been decided: photobiomoduation (it's been called a lot of things over the years). It's a very quick, informative read. It really is amazing how many things this therapy can help with. Read up, hop on ebay or alibaba, spend $25-$50 and try it! It rocks. http://www.collegeof...n_As_a_Drug.pdf

[Psionic]

I would have added this as a new thread but for some reason it won't let me due to a glitch in adding the stupid required tags but it applies to this thread-

Valkee lands $9.7m to improve your mood and wellbeing with its bright light headset

In an effort to build a headset device that can brighten your days by stimulating your brain with light, Helsinki, Finland-based health technology company Valkee has picked up 7.4 million euros ($9.7 million) in funding.
The investors are both current and new backers, the latter group including an unnamed “international fund”.
Valkee makes a pocket-sized light therapy device that channels bright light via the ear canals into the brain, launched in 2010 in Europe under the CE Class II medical device certification.
The device has been clinically tested to completely remove seasonal affective disorder symptoms of 92% of study participants, and a daily 12-minute dose is studied to have beneficial effects on mood and wellbeing, the company says. Its user base now stands at more than 45,000 people in over twenty countries.
“A staggering 87% of users recommend Valkee to their friends. They have adopted on-the-go bright light as part of their daily wellbeing. Our strongest customer base is in German-speaking Europe, the Nordic countries and Japan,” says Pekka Somerto, Valkee CEO.
“We have discovered a new mechanism for the way light positively impacts mood and performance. As a science-driven consumer electronics company, we aim at further deepening our understanding of how bright light affects humans, and turning this science into easily usable healthcare and wellness products,” says Timo Ahopelto, Partner at Lifeline Ventures and Valkee Chairman.
With the funding, Valkee will expand its market areas, reseller network and use cases. Currently, the company has clinical trials ongoing in the areas of jet lag, cognitive performance and different depression types.

http://thenextweb.co...valkee-funding/

So I wonder if the Laser (lllt) can immitate the same effects on mood or is it just totally different area (bright light vs. infrared spectrum)?

I wonder what light source are valkee using.

[lourdaud]

Great new two page article on low level laser therapy by the godmother herself, Tiina Karu. She basically summarizes all of the numerous recent successes and argues that it should be considered a drug equivalent. Also, looks like the official term has been decided: photobiomoduation (it's been called a lot of things over the years). It's a very quick, informative read. It really is amazing how many things this therapy can help with. Read up, hop on ebay or alibaba, spend $25-$50 and try it! It rocks. http://www.collegeof...n_As_a_Drug.pdf

Really want to try one.. Anyone able to recommend any particular model and/or seller on Alibaba/Ebay?

[lostfalco]

I would have added this as a new thread but for some reason it won't let me due to a glitch in adding the stupid required tags but it applies to this thread-

Valkee lands $9.7m to improve your mood and wellbeing with its bright light headset

In an effort to build a headset device that can brighten your days by stimulating your brain with light, Helsinki, Finland-based health technology company Valkee has picked up 7.4 million euros ($9.7 million) in funding.
The investors are both current and new backers, the latter group including an unnamed “international fund”.
Valkee makes a pocket-sized light therapy device that channels bright light via the ear canals into the brain, launched in 2010 in Europe under the CE Class II medical device certification.
The device has been clinically tested to completely remove seasonal affective disorder symptoms of 92% of study participants, and a daily 12-minute dose is studied to have beneficial effects on mood and wellbeing, the company says. Its user base now stands at more than 45,000 people in over twenty countries.
“A staggering 87% of users recommend Valkee to their friends. They have adopted on-the-go bright light as part of their daily wellbeing. Our strongest customer base is in German-speaking Europe, the Nordic countries and Japan,” says Pekka Somerto, Valkee CEO.
“We have discovered a new mechanism for the way light positively impacts mood and performance. As a science-driven consumer electronics company, we aim at further deepening our understanding of how bright light affects humans, and turning this science into easily usable healthcare and wellness products,” says Timo Ahopelto, Partner at Lifeline Ventures and Valkee Chairman.
With the funding, Valkee will expand its market areas, reseller network and use cases. Currently, the company has clinical trials ongoing in the areas of jet lag, cognitive performance and different depression types.

http://thenextweb.co...valkee-funding/

So I wonder if the Laser (lllt) can immitate the same effects on mood or is it just totally different area (bright light vs. infrared spectrum)?

I wonder what light source are valkee using.

Sorry, I forgot to respond to this earlier...I've been a little busy. =)

I looked into Valkee a few years ago...they've been around since 2007 I believe...and I decided against trying their $300 product because their studies looked suspicious to me and they were always extremely vague about the specific details of their product (wavelength especially). These two quotes, one from their Amazon page and one from the link you posted, pretty much sum up my current position:
1) "This is basically two very tiny LEDs that emit bluish-white light. The user manual lists them as being 3.5 lumens max each. The spectrum is unknown, but as I said, it's on the blue side, but not UV, as I was reassured by Valkee." http://www.amazon.co...t/dp/B006WLGDJ8
2) "Ehm, aren't we still waiting for placebo-controlled double blind actual scientific tests for this? We've been waiting years for them. Who knows, maybe the tech really does work, but with so much skepticism around you would think it not overly difficult to arrange that."

I'm not completely closed to Valkee, just too skeptical to drop $300 on a trial run. If there are new studies that have come out then I'd love to see them. Just my two cents. =)

[Major Legend]

I've been doing chungpaos testosterone regime. It's been nothing short of phenomenal, but its too early to say. I feel faster, lighter, speedier, sharper.

Chased down a bus a street down a few days ago, and didn't even break a sweat. I feel more energised and in touch with my emotions (i've been using nootropics with his regime by the way). I'm not entirely sure if its a placebo effect, and not sure if the effects will last. The only way I can describe how I feel is super , everything is enhanced. I'm late 20s. Skin looks better too (not sure if this is just imagination), not really done much with my anxiety. I also get emotionally easily and noticed the roid rage thing several times.

I was sprinting around the street like a little kid and giggling, my reflexes vastly improved. Again it could be all placebo. I raised my dosage significantly from a low dose before feeling any effects. I think i've been getting the blurry vision side effect so i'm worried about damage to my optic nerve, but i'm going to see if it persists or not. Also the mental enhancements only become noticeable with nootropics, its like nootropics synergise with the hormones or something, but even the most plain stuff like caffeine feels awesome (first love??).

Of course its all costing a bomb, anastrole is the most expensive medicine i've ever bought.

Edited by Major Legend, 26 June 2013 - 04:19 PM.

[chris106]

I've been doing chungpaos testosterone regime. It's been nothing short of phenomenal, but its too early to say. I feel faster, lighter, speedier, sharper.

Is there a thread about that? Don't mean to be a lazy a**, but the search function is gone and the intern google-search thingy didn't turn anything up... :/

EDIT: Nevermind, just realized it is in this very thread just a few pages back... @_@'

Edited by chris106, 26 June 2013 - 06:20 PM.

[Psionic]

Sorry, I forgot to respond to this earlier...I've been a little busy. =)

I looked into Valkee a few years ago...they've been around since 2007 I believe...and I decided against trying their $300 product because their studies looked suspicious to me and they were always extremely vague about the specific details of their product (wavelength especially). These two quotes, one from their Amazon page and one from the link you posted, pretty much sum up my current position:
1) "This is basically two very tiny LEDs that emit bluish-white light. The user manual lists them as being 3.5 lumens max each. The spectrum is unknown, but as I said, it's on the blue side, but not UV, as I was reassured by Valkee." http://www.amazon.co...t/dp/B006WLGDJ8
2) "Ehm, aren't we still waiting for placebo-controlled double blind actual scientific tests for this? We've been waiting years for them. Who knows, maybe the tech really does work, but with so much skepticism around you would think it not overly difficult to arrange that."

I'm not completely closed to Valkee, just too skeptical to drop $300 on a trial run. If there are new studies that have come out then I'd love to see them. Just my two cents. =)

hey LostFalco, thanks for the reply. I recently had a conversation with someone whos experimenting with light therapy ( and who posted in this thread too) and it came out that their system can be replicated just in terms of the price of Diodes (units of dollars). To be honest, I know that finnish design is nice, I know that finnish people have one of the biggest payouts and so on.. but in terms of people suffering (seasonal) depression it cant be redeemed by this price. If it works same with $50 expenditure and it can literally save human lives, then people should get access to it at this price.

It would be necessary to get testimonials from their users before we can draw any conclusions on functionality.

Also the spectrum should match Bright light therapy, shouldn´t it? Thats the reason I ask if the LLLT or UV can act in the same route (increased awareness, melatonin production, but it doesnt seem to be case).

[lostfalco]

Hey guys, I've got some cool news. UCLA Neuroscience PhD Dr. Andrew Hill http://brainhealthin.../about-dr-hill/ is going to hop on this thread tonight and share his thoughts on some of my crazy ideas. I pretty much told him to go through the thread and pick out anything he wants to discuss and tear me to shreds...in a nice way.

Dr. Hill graduated from UCLA with a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience and is teaching a UCLA extension class this fall on biofeedback and neurofeedback. He is also the lead neuroscientist behind the nootropic supplement trubrain. http://trubrain.com/

He currently offers evidence-based brain training and brain fitness coaching using biofeedback, neurofeedback, mindfulness, quantitative EEG (QEEG), and specialized attention testing in the Los Angeles area. http://brainhealthinc.com/

I found out about him on this podcast. http://smartdrugsmar...-neurofeedback/

It will be an honor to get refuted by someone of his caliber.

I told him to just read through and reply to whatever he wants to whenever he wants to. So, check back soon and enjoy.

Disclaimer: Dr. Hill and I have no business relationship at all and there is no advertising going on here. I just really enjoy learning from smart, educated people and sharing that with others. Hopefully, some of us can benefit from this discussion. The beatdown begins soon!

[MasterHerb]

Hey guys, I've got some cool news. UCLA Neuroscience PhD Dr. Andrew Hill http://brainhealthin.../about-dr-hill/ is going to hop on this thread tonight and share his thoughts on some of my crazy ideas. I pretty much told him to go through the thread and pick out anything he wants to discuss and tear me to shreds...in a nice way.

Dr. Hill graduated from UCLA with a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience and is teaching a UCLA extension class this fall on biofeedback and neurofeedback. He is also the lead neuroscientist behind the nootropic supplement trubrain. http://trubrain.com/

He currently offers evidence-based brain training and brain fitness coaching using biofeedback, neurofeedback, mindfulness, quantitative EEG (QEEG), and specialized attention testing in the Los Angeles area. http://brainhealthinc.com/

I found out about him on this podcast. http://smartdrugsmar...-neurofeedback/

It will be an honor to get refuted by someone of his caliber.

I told him to just read through and reply to whatever he wants to whenever he wants to. So, check back soon and enjoy.

Disclaimer: Dr. Hill and I have no business relationship at all and there is no advertising going on here. I just really enjoy learning from smart, educated people and sharing that with others. Hopefully, some of us can benefit from this discussion. The beatdown begins soon!

Just finished reading your thread......thank you for all the great information. Can't wait for the critique!

[lostfalco]

Hey guys, I've got some cool news. UCLA Neuroscience PhD Dr. Andrew Hill http://brainhealthin.../about-dr-hill/ is going to hop on this thread tonight and share his thoughts on some of my crazy ideas. I pretty much told him to go through the thread and pick out anything he wants to discuss and tear me to shreds...in a nice way.

Dr. Hill graduated from UCLA with a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience and is teaching a UCLA extension class this fall on biofeedback and neurofeedback. He is also the lead neuroscientist behind the nootropic supplement trubrain. http://trubrain.com/

He currently offers evidence-based brain training and brain fitness coaching using biofeedback, neurofeedback, mindfulness, quantitative EEG (QEEG), and specialized attention testing in the Los Angeles area. http://brainhealthinc.com/

I found out about him on this podcast. http://smartdrugsmar...-neurofeedback/

It will be an honor to get refuted by someone of his caliber.

I told him to just read through and reply to whatever he wants to whenever he wants to. So, check back soon and enjoy.

Disclaimer: Dr. Hill and I have no business relationship at all and there is no advertising going on here. I just really enjoy learning from smart, educated people and sharing that with others. Hopefully, some of us can benefit from this discussion. The beatdown begins soon!

Just finished reading your thread......thank you for all the great information. Can't wait for the critique!

Thanks man, I appreciate it. I'm looking forward to it too! (I think)

[salamandyr]

Hey LF, thanks for the invite / nod (I'm Andrew Hill).

I must first say I dont know a lot about lasers or pregnolone used nootropic-ly, which is much of this thread. I'm a bit cautious with cognitive enhancement pursuits, and also tend to use techniques that encourage the brain to change versus externally entraining or stimulating it. I'm also oriented towards making small, measurable, and sustainable gains with things that have some good ideas about safety and no drawbacks. E.g. even tDCS may not be "nootropic" in the strictest sense because it can affect some resources in a zero-sum-game fashion, e.g. impair things to enhance some other things.

For the same reasons I'm a bit averse to peptides (oxytocin, vasopressin) because they are so "early" in the regulatory chain, and I'm a bit adverse to most direct neurotransmitters or modulators for similar reasons. E.g. much use of pharmacology assumes a linear model in the brain / body, where you "turn dials" up or down. We know that physiology is massively, recursively, nonlinear coupled systems with feedback and delay.. chaotic / dynamic stability abounds.

So.. I'm all for nootropics, as my involvement with truBrain attests, but if you look at the ingredients (yes, we disclose exactly how much of everything you get in a day's packets) you can see that my choices were fairly conservative. And while we do emphasize that it's a caffeine-free solution, I *do* strongly encourage coffee for anyone who isn't a slow metabolizer of caffeine, for it's neuroprotective benefits. So while there are other things in truBrain to maximize the effects, my "base" noot stack is simply: Coffee, piracetam, citicholine, l-theanine, and fish oil. Pretty conservative, but it gets most people a long way on the nootropic path without getting all crazy with self-experimentation using untested RCs.

I don't even encourage modafinil. Especially not for people who have some attention challenges. The side effect profile for people with ADHD is dramatically higher than the background population. In fact it put me in the hospital in January after low-dose for 2 weeks (100 mg in AM), with body-covering Erethyma Multiforme minor (hives with target centers), and lungs closing up in reaction. Months later I'm still having mild histamine problems. So I'm anti-things with small benefits to cognition, attention, or memory, and possibly serious risk profiles.

For non-consumables, I'm a big fan of pirHEG and EEG neurofeedback. As I alluded to earlier, the evoked / encouraged changes with feedback modalities cause a much bigger and more predictable change to the system. In contrast, entrainment seems to have limited use for long-term change, except in cases where the entrainment stimuli can "perturb" a stuck system (e.g. possibly if someone is hyper/hypo coherence in an EEG band, or something). I might be a bit biased since I actually study neurofeedback and have been working in it for over 10 years, but I've seen it do amazing things in that time. Most of what I've seen has been remediating clinical stuff, but as I dont really believe in ADHD as a "disorder", I do think that improving aspects of attention performance is very possible for neurotypical brains. My dissertation work was a short 5-day nfb experiment where I rewarded based on 3 protocols, or a Sham EEG signal. By the first day the reward frequency was being "echoed" in the ERP produced to the reward event, and significant changes were produced in behavior (lateralized attention testing) easily by the 3rd or 4th session of training. And this was mostly absent in the Sham group. All were "normals", or at least college students w/no diagnoses.

Also - dont forget that meditation is basically executive function training, and takes no equipment. I do believe that those essential techniques of single-point awareness (samatha) and present-time awareness / bare attention (vipassana), can form a core of a cognitive enhancing regimen that will have as dramatic results as anything else we might try.

I think ultimately we are all trying to improve, and possibly transform ourselves. The lore on making big changes / enlightenment / transformation seems to be that if you do several things the chances of having a discontinuous improvement / transformation is much much greater. So go ahead - "stack" a bunch of things.. but all of those things can have poor / unwanted interactions as well as good ones, and that's magnified dramatically if you toss a bunch of things into the mix that have unknown or unwanted effects.

I might lose my psychonaut badge for this, but before I would shoot lasers into my brain (or even tDCS, tUS, or CES!), I'm going to see how smart / performant I get enough with proper sleep and hydration, a sane nootropic stack on board, doing a bunch of neurofeedback, meditating, eating primal/paleo, and getting some regular exercise.

TLDR; I've tried a lot of things LF has, though know little of lasers or pregnolone. I believe self-experimentation may be much riskier than necessary when we under-exploit safer, better understood things that are still accessible and powerful.

Edited by salamandyr, 29 June 2013 - 04:56 AM.

[Major Legend]

Thanks for that, I find it surprising that you don't believe ADHD is a disorder. For people with attention problem or executive function issues (i.e. slow brain + low latent inhibition) - what do you think is the best way to improve those "scores"?

[BLimitless]

Brilliant! To be brutally honest


I have ceased all supplementation. What I realised is that NZT-48 state can be found exclusively in hitting Samadhi, the state of one-point focus onto any desired object, which at its deepest level is Non-Dual, that is to say "I felt the handshake from both sides".

All things point to Samadhi.

What is Samadhi?

It is maximum clarity. Why do you take NAC, vitamins, etc? Clarity.

It is maximum relaxation. Why do you sleep properly, exercise, etc? Relaxation.


Combine CLARITY with RELAXATION and the result is FLOW, Samadhi, absorption, concentration. I especially love that you mention Vipassana because Vipassana (sitting there, watching all the sensations in your present moment, learning to react to them in such a way that creates CONCENTRATION and RELAXATION) goes absolutely hand in hand with cultivating, yes, CULTIVATING Samadhi.


The truth is that no nootropic stack will ever be a one-hit Limitless state because a seed does not instantly bloom into a flower, it must germinate and sprout! So likewise anything you put into your body (the seed) must run through the body and act, then the resonances of the actions will themselves interact with resonances of your thoughts thereby creating the final experience, the flower.


Now our Doc says:


"So go ahead - "stack" a bunch of things.. but all of those things can have poor / unwanted interactions as well as good ones, and that's magnified dramatically if you toss a bunch of things into the mix that have unknown or unwanted effects."



Now let me add some 0.02; YOUR THOUGHTS ARE NOOTROPIC STACKS OF THEIR OWN ACCORD. Analyse your thoughts. If 90% are focused on the object then still, 10% of your internal nootropic stack is working against you. But much much more than likely, it is 10% of thoughts focused on the desired work, and 90% distractions!

It does not matter if you take £1000 worth of drugs and MRI-LED-TFT Positron Scattering Dark Matter iWeb 2.0 Cloud computation.... if you are spitting out £900 of that EVERY SINGLE INSTANCE down the drain!


So... FIRST cultivate total inner silence. This is the foundation. When you do this, you will *already* feel like Eddie Morra but unlike Eddie Morra you are real and the story is real, right in front of your face. THEN add the supplements, and prepare for a sensory explosion!


And speaking from experience, believe me guys... the portrayal of Limitless is a vague shadow of Samadhi. When I finally got round to watching it, I laughed my ass off. Every five seconds I would point out something to my friend - "did that IRL... did that IRL... did that IRL.... did that IRL..."

I promise you, if you had the faintest idea of the delights of Samadhi, you would spend your every waking moment cultivating it. The only analogy I can present is a crude one, thus: Imagine the entire universe is a woman and you are the only guy in existence and reality consists of you, this fine lady, and sex... Everything you touch, taste, sense, think, do... You can see where I am going here

Edited by BLimitless, 29 June 2013 - 12:51 PM.

[lostfalco]

Huge thanks to Dr. Hill for sharing his thoughts! I love presenting counterpoints and opposing arguments and letting everyone make their own decisions.

If anyone has any questions for Dr. Hill feel free to ask them here. He'll be checking in periodically throughout the weekend and replying when he has a chance. In order to save time let me go ahead and post answers to two of the most common questions he's frequently asked.

1) Which home device/software do you recommend for neurofeedback training?
Answer: Probably the best cost-effective, actually usable-for-training setup out there is something from PocketNeurobics.com and either BioExplorer or BioEra for software (both available through PN as well, in "kits"). PN has 2 and more channel EEG amps, is the best deal running in cost. You need a windows machine, too, and ideally one with a dedicated video card.

2) What is the reading list for your upcoming class? Where can I get more info on neurofeedback training?
Answer: Required Reading (Articles):

Arns M, Drinkenburg W, Leon Kenemans J. (2012). The effects of QEEG-informed neurofeedback in ADHD: an open-label pilot study. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 37(3):171-80. doi: 10.1007/s10484-012-9191-4.

Arns M, Kenemans JL. (2012). Neurofeedback in ADHD and insomnia: Vigilance stabilization through sleep spindles and circadian networks. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2012.10.006.

Barnea A, Rassis A, Zaidel E. (2005). Effect of neurofeedback on hemispheric word recognition. Brain Cogn. 59(3):314-21.

Beauregard M, Lévesque J. (2006). Functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation of the effects of neurofeedback training on the neural bases of selective attention and response inhibition in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 31(1):3-20.

Choi, S. W., Chi, S. E., Chung, S. Y., Kim, J. W., Ahn, C. Y., & Kim, H. T. (2011). Is alpha wave neurofeedback effective with randomized clinical trials in depression? A pilot study. Neuropsychobiology, Neuropsychobiology, 63(1), 43-51. doi:10.1159/000322290

de Zambotti M, Bianchin M, Magazzini L, Gnesato G, Angrilli A. (2012). The efficacy of EEG neurofeedback aimed at enhancing sensory-motor rhythm theta ratio in healthy subjects. Exp Brain Res. 221(1):69-74. doi: 10.1007/s00221-012-3148-y.

Gruzelier J, Egner T, Vernon D.(2006). Validating the efficacy of neurofeedback for optimising performance. Prog Brain Res. 159:421-31.

Egner T, Gruzelier JH. (2004). EEG biofeedback of low beta band components: frequency-specific effects on variables of attention and event-related brain potentials. Clin Neurophysiol. 115(1):131-9.

Gevensleben, H., Rothenberger, A., Moll, G. H., & Heinrich, H. (2012). Neurofeedback in children with ADHD: validation and challenges. Expert Rev Neurother, Expert Rev Neurother, 12(4), 447-60. doi:10.1586/ern.12.22

Gevirtz, R. N. (2003). The promise of HRV biofeedback: Some preliminary results and speculations. Biofeedback,31(3), 18-19.

Gilbert, C. (2005). Better chemistry through breathing: The story of carbon dioxide and how it can go wrong. Biofeedback,33(3), 100-104.

Gruzelier JH. (2013). Differential effects on mood of 12-15 (SMR) and 15-18 (beta1) Hz neurofeedback. Int J Psychophysiol. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2012.11.007.

Hirshberg LM, Chiu S, Frazier JA. (2005). Emerging brain-based interventions for children and adolescents: overview and clinical perspective. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 14(1):1-19, v.

Holtmann M, Steiner S, Hohmann S, Poustka L, Banaschewski T, Bölte S. (2011). Neurofeedback in autism spectrum disorders. Dev Med Child Neurol. 53(11):986-93. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2011.04043.x.

Lansbergen, M. M., van Dongen-Boomsma, M., Buitelaar, J. K., & Slaats-Willemse, D. (2011). ADHD and EEG-neurofeedback: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled feasibility study. J Neural Transm, J Neural Transm, 118(2), 275-84. doi:10.1007/s00702-010-0524-2

LaVaque, T. J., Hammond, D. C., Trudeau, D., Monastra, V., Perry, J., Lehrer, P., Matheson, D., & Sherman, R. (2002, December). Template for developing guidelines for the evaluation of the clinical efficacy of psychophysiological evaluations. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback,27(4), 273-281.

Linden, D. E. J., Habes, I., Johnston, S. J., Linden, S., Tatineni, R., Subramanian, L., Sorger, B., et al. (2012). Real-time self-regulation of emotion networks in patients with depression. PLoS One, PLoS One, 7(6), e38115. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0038115

Loo, S. K., & Makeig, S. (2012). Clinical utility of EEG in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a research update. Neurotherapeutics, Neurotherapeutics, 9(3), 569-87. doi:10.1007/s13311-012-0131-z

Monastra VJ, Lynn S, Linden M, Lubar JF, Gruzelier J, LaVaque TJ. (2005). Electroencephalographic biofeedback in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 30(2):95-114.

Moss, D. (2004). Heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback. Psychophysiology Today,1, 4-11.

Ros T, Moseley MJ, Bloom PA, Benjamin L, Parkinson LA, Gruzelier JH. (2009). Optimizing microsurgical skills with EEG neurofeedback. BMC Neurosci. 10:87. doi: 10.1186/1471-2202-10-87.

Ros, T., Munneke, M. A. M., Ruge, D., Gruzelier, J. H., & Rothwell, J. C. (2010). Endogenous control of waking brain rhythms induces neuroplasticity in humans. The European journal of neuroscience, The European journal of neuroscience, 31(4), 770-8. doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07100.x

Sterman MB, Egner T.(2006). Foundation and practice of neurofeedback for the treatment of epilepsy. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 31(1):21-35.

Sterman MB.(2010). Biofeedback in the treatment of epilepsy. Cleve Clin J Med. 2010 Jul;77 Suppl 3:S60-7. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.77.s3.11.

Thompson L, Thompson M, Reid A.(2010). Neurofeedback outcomes in clients with Asperger's syndrome. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 35(1):63-81. doi: 10.1007/s10484-009-9120-3.

Vernon D, Egner T, Cooper N, Compton T, Neilands C, Sheri A, Gruzelier J. (2003). The effect of training distinct neurofeedback protocols on aspects of cognitive performance. Int J Psychophysiol. 47(1):75-85.

Yucha, C., & Gilbert, C. (2004). Evidence-based practice in biofeedback and neurofeedback. Wheat Ridge, CO: AAPB.



Optional (books):
Coben (Editor) & Evans (Editor) (2010). Neurofeedback and Neuromodulation Techniques and Applications

Demos, J. N. (2005). Getting started with neurofeedback. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Kropotov (2008) Quantitative EEG, Event-Related Potentials and Neurotherapy.

Schomer (Editor), Lopes da Silva (2010). Niedermeyer's Electroencephalography: Basic Principles, Clinical Applications, and Related Fields.

[Psionic]

I promise you, if you had the faintest idea of the delights of Samadhi, you would spend your every waking moment cultivating it. The only analogy I can present is a crude one, thus: Imagine the entire universe is a woman and you are the only guy in existence and reality consists of you, this fine lady, and sex... Everything you touch, taste, sense, think, do... You can see where I am going here

Great post. I have been thinking about this (the flow, total focus, eliminating the barrier between observer and the object) for some time too.. Theres some books about The Flow and I wonder how is it related to (alpha) brain vawes for example. I agree that the state we are looking for can be achieved purely without any additional substances just by cultivating right mindstate which changes chemistry in the brain on its own. But its the mind training in its original sense.

Theres surely everyday activities which help people attain this desired states, as it can be programming, playing an instrument or running but it can be applied everywhere on any activity, we only need to learn how to do that. I believe that neurofeedback or some sophisticated game can help attain that state and I believe it can hugely reduce stress, induce relaxation and so on, but the question is how much it will be transferable to the rest of our waking activities? I think the level of consciousness is the key and the ego is the obstruction on this way.