Rankings / Cognitive — Nootropics
Methylene blue
Cognitive · Alternative electron carrier / MAOI
Tier C+
What this is
Hormetic dose-response is critical — the biohacker sweet spot is 0.5-2 mg/kg. Only USP/pharmaceutical grade is safe orally (industrial/aquarium grades contain heavy metal contaminants). TauRx developed TRx0237 (LMTX/hydromethylthionine) for Alzheimer's — results disappointing in Ph3.
Mechanism
Hormetic: at low doses shuttles electrons to cytochrome c oxidase, boosting mitochondrial ATP; at high doses becomes pro-oxidant; also reversible MAO-A/B inhibitor; tau aggregation inhibitor
Dose & route
0.5-4 mg/kg PO (hormetic — higher doses counterproductive for cognition)
Citations
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27351812/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25093899/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3265679/
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This is an independent synthesis of published research by a non-clinician. Scores are opinions supported by citations, not prescriptions. See the full disclaimer and methodology for how this score was produced and what it does and doesn't mean.