Compound · fasoracetam
T3Nootropic

Fasoracetam (NFC-1 / NS-105)

Non-selective agonist of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR groups I, II, and III) with secondary cholinergic and GABAergic modulation. Upregulates GABA-B receptor expression, which is the primary mechanism of interest for ADHD-associated glutamatergic dysfunction. Originally developed by Nippon Shinyaku for vascular dementia. Phase I data exists. A small pediatric ADHD pilot (NFC-1) showed signal in mGluR-mutant genotypes.

Half-life
1.5-2 hours (estimated from Phase I data)
Bioavailability
~80% (oral, estimated)
Route
oral, sublingual
Evidence tier
T3 — Community / emerging
Optimization pillars
cellular-health
References
3 peer-reviewed
Dose ranges

Three tiers ordered by aggressiveness. Tier chips on every OPTIMIZE intervention let you filter the catalog by your evidence tolerance.

conservative
100 mg 2x/day
Minimum community-reported dose
moderate
100–200 mg 2x/day
Standard nootropic dose
aggressive
200–400 mg 2x/day
ADHD pilot dosing range
Monitoring
  • alt
  • ast
  • creatinine
Contraindications
  • pregnancy
  • lactation
  • concurrent-gabapentinoid-use
References
  • PMID:29260819A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of NFC-1 for ADHD with mGluR mutationsNat Med, 2018
  • PMID:8788029Effects of NS-105 on learning and memory in rodent modelsJpn J Pharmacol, 1996
  • PMID:9495878NS-105 enhances choline acetyltransferase and nerve growth factor in basal forebrainBrain Res, 1998
Notes

Fasoracetam is the racetam that almost became a drug. Twice. Nippon Shinyaku abandoned it after Phase I for vascular dementia. Then Aevi Technologies (now Cerecor) picked it up for ADHD, specifically in children with mGluR network gene mutations. The 2018 Nature Medicine pilot showed meaningful signal in that genetic subpopulation. The GABA-B upregulation mechanism makes it theoretically useful for phenibut withdrawal, which is how most of the community actually uses it. A compound designed for dementia, tested for ADHD, deployed for GABAergic recovery. Pharmacology rarely follows a straight line.

This is not medical advice

Discuss with a licensed clinician before starting, stopping, or changing any compound. This page documents what the research literature describes — it is not a prescription.

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