Focus, mood & calm.
A noisy category. We include only entries with at least a coherent mechanism and at least one human report; everything else is filtered.
How this class moves the outcome.
BDNF / neurotrophic upregulation
Semax and dihexa increase BDNF expression in animal models, supporting synaptic plasticity and neuronal survival.
Anxiolysis via GABA / serotonin modulation
Selank modulates GABAergic tone and is the most-studied anxiolytic in this set, primarily in Russian clinical literature.
Multi-component neurotrophic mix
Cerebrolysin is a porcine-derived neuropeptide mixture used clinically in stroke recovery in several jurisdictions.
Ranked by human-evidence strength.
- 01
Semax
Russian synthetic heptapeptide derived from ACTH; nootropic and neuroprotective claims.
ACTH(4-10) analoguet½ ShortHuman observational - 02
Selank
Russian synthetic heptapeptide marketed for anxiety; limited Western trials.
Tuftsin analogue (anxiolytic)t½ ShortHuman observational - 03
Dihexa
PNB-0408Investigational small peptide claimed to potentiate HGF/c-Met signalling. No human data.
Angiotensin IV analoguet½ Unknown (human)Preclinical only - 04
Cerebrolysin
Peptide mixture from pig brain; used in Europe and Asia for stroke and dementia. Not FDA-approved.
Porcine brain peptide complext½ VariableHuman RCT
What the human data actually shows.
Each bar is the proportion of candidates on this brief at that evidence tier. RCT first, observational second, preclinical and anecdotal labeled and never inflated.
See full methodology →Indexed human trials and reviews driving the candidate rankings above. Sorted by study type, then recency.
- moderateMedvedev VE, Tereshchenko OY, Israelyan AY, et al.
Intranasal Selank reduced anxiety symptoms in GAD with efficacy comparable to standard benzodiazepines and a favorable side-effect profile.
RCTn=502015unreviewed - moderateZozulia AA, Neznamov GG, Siuniakov TS, et al.
Intranasal Selank (peptide analog of tuftsin) improved anxiety scores and attention/memory measures vs placebo and was comparable to medazepam without sedation.
RCTn=622008unreviewed
Where this class can hurt you.
- Most studies originate from a small set of research groups — replication is limited.
- Healthy-adult cognitive endpoints are subjective and placebo-sensitive.
- Combination with prescribed psychiatric medication is under-studied.
- Most studies originate from a small set of research groups — replication is limited.
- Subjective cognitive endpoints are difficult to interpret in non-blinded reports.
Decide between candidates.
Put the top 4 candidates side by side.
Mechanism · half-life · routes · evidence tier · safety signals. A decision matrix, not a leaderboard.
Current scientific consensus.
- Cerebrolysin in clinical stroke recovery
- Reliable cognitive enhancement in healthy adults
- Independent Western replication
- Long-term neuroadaptation
"Clinical use cases (stroke) outpace lifestyle use cases. Healthy-adult nootropic claims remain anecdotal."
Where this is heading.
Clinical use cases (stroke) outpace lifestyle use cases. Healthy-adult nootropic claims remain anecdotal.
We re-grade this brief quarterly. Confidence and outcome grades shift as new RCTs publish, safety data accumulates, and replication efforts read out. Changes are logged publicly on the evidence changelog.
Matched protocol templates.
Matching templates…