Fasoracetam

What Is Fasoracetam?

Fasoracetam (NFC-1) is a synthetic racetam-family compound investigated as a metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) modulator with effects on GABA-B receptors. It is sold in the nootropic grey market for mood, anxiety and focus, but it is a research chemical rather than an approved dietary supplement or medicine. Human evidence is thin and specialised — most of it comes from a single ADHD program in genetically selected adolescents.

Evidence

The main human study is a 5-week, open-label/single-blind, placebo-controlled trial of NFC-1 in 30 adolescents with ADHD who carried mutations in mGluR-network genes; it reported significant improvement on Clinical Global Impression scales, with a stronger signal in Tier-1 mGluR variant carriers ^{1Reference 1Elia J et al. · 2018RCTFasoracetam in adolescents with ADHD and glutamatergic gene network variants disrupting mGluR neurotransmitter signaling — open-label/placebo-controlled trialView study →}. This was a small, exploratory, genetically enriched sample — it does not establish fasoracetam as an effective treatment for the general population, and it does not support the common online claims about mood, GABA-B “anxiolysis” or cognitive enhancement in healthy users, which I did not find backed by a citable trial in this pass. Beyond this, published human data are sparse.

Dosage & Safety

There is no established supplement dose. The ADHD trial titrated up to 400 mg twice daily under medical supervision ^{1Reference 1Elia J et al. · 2018RCTFasoracetam in adolescents with ADHD and glutamatergic gene network variants disrupting mGluR neurotransmitter signaling — open-label/placebo-controlled trialView study →}; that is a research protocol, not a personal recommendation. Fasoracetam is not an approved dietary supplement or medicine — this entry is informational only. Toxicity is not yet characterised in humans, and interactions, pregnancy/lactation safety and long-term effects are not established.

References

1. Elia J, et al. (2018). Fasoracetam in adolescents with ADHD and glutamatergic gene network variants disrupting mGluR neurotransmitter signaling — open-label/placebo-controlled trial. Nature Communications. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29339723/