Beneficial effects of glycine (bioglycin) on memory and attention in youngand middle-aged adults

The N-methyl D-aspartate receptor complex is involved in the mechanism of l ong-term potentiation, which is thought to be the biological basis of learn ing and memory. This complex can be manipulated in a number of ways, one of which is through the strychnine-insensitive glycine receptor coagonist sit e. The effects of Bioglycin(R) (Konapharma, Pratteln, Switzerland), a biolo gically active form of the amino acid glycine, were therefore studied in he althy students (mean age, 20.7 years) and middle-aged men (mean age, 58.9 y ears) with tests that measured attention, memory and mood, using a double-b lind, randomized, crossover design. Compared with the young group, the midd le-aged group had significantly poorer verbal episodic memory, focused, div ided, and sustained attention; they also differed in their subjective respo nses at the end of testing. Bioglycin significantly improved retrieval from episodic memory in both the young and the middle-aged groups, but it did n ot affect focused or divided attention. However, the middle-aged men signif icantly benefited from Bioglycin in the sustained-attention task. The effec ts of Bioglycin differed from those of other cognitive enhancers in that it was without stimulant properties or significant effects on mood, and it pr imarily improved memory rather than attention. It is Likely to be of benefi t in young or older people in situations where high retrieval of informatio n is needed or when performance is impaired by jet lag, shift work, or disr upted sleep. It may also benefit the impaired retrieval shown in patients w ith schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease.