Levodopa enhances explicit new-word learning in healthy adults | Hacker News Reader

Levodopa enhances explicit new-word learning in healthy adults

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

22 pointsromefort5 comments

I was taking Mucuna (a natural source of levodopa) until I found out that it increases melanin production, which totally makes sense when you think about it, but it's not recommended if you're at risk of melanoma. If you don't, then L-DOPA works great in preventing myopia as well.

"Levodopa" sounds like a Harry Potter spell. The abstract says "the role of dopamine in modulating executive function, working memory and associative learning has been established", I wonder if there are side effects to mucking with your brain chemistry in this way.

Probably, but the same can be said for a lot of things people consume every day. I don't see much point in hand-wringing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L-DOPA#Side_effects : The side effects of L-DOPA may include:

  ...
  Disorientation and confusion
  Extreme emotional states, particularly anxiety, but also  excessive libido
  Vivid dreams or insomnia
  Auditory or visual hallucinations
  ...
  Somnolence and narcolepsy
  A condition similar to stimulant psychosis
  ...
  Freezing during movement
  Dose failure (drug resistance)
  Dyskinesia at peak dose (levodopa-induced dyskinesia)
  ...

For the curious, they're referring to L-dopa.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/L-DOPA

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