Nitrosigine is an L-arginine analogue you can find in many pre-workout formulas and other sports supplements. In 2016 American researchers reported that Nitrosigine significantly improves the ability of people to switch quickly from one mental task to another. This is not only interesting for people with a job that is sometimes too versatile, but also for traders and athletes who need to be able to make quick decisions. Nitrosigine Nitrostigine is a combination of L-arginine, silicate and inositol. According to research funded by the manufacturer of this combination, Nitrosigine is a more effective form of L-arginine than regular arginine. That producer, the American Nutrition 21, also paid for the study we're talking about now. Study The researchers gave young men 1500 mg of nitrosigine every day for 3 days. On another occasion, the researchers repeated the procedure - and gave the subjects a placebo. Before the supplementation started, 10 minutes after the first intake and after 3 days of supplementation, the researchers tested the ability of the men to switch from one mental task to another. The tests The researchers tested the mental abilities of their subjects with the Trail Making Test A and the Trail Making Test B. In both tests, subjects must connect beads on a piece of paper in as short a time as possible. Trail Making Test A is the easiest: connect 1 with 2, 2 with 3, 3 with 4 - and so on. Trail Making Test B is a bit more difficult. The subjects must connect 1 with A, A with 2, 2 with B, B with 3, 3 with C - and so on. The faster you connect the beads correctly, the more flexible your brain can switch from one thought process to another. That cognitive flexibility is crucial in activities like sports and trading in which participants have to make quick decisions, the researchers write. Results Already 10 minutes after taking Nitrosigine, the subjects performed better on the more difficult B part of the test. After a few days of supplementation, the effect was still present. The researchers also conducted a trial in which they gave their test subjects 14 days of 1500 milligrams of Nitrosigine per day. In that trial too, Nitroginine did not lose any of its effectiveness as time went on. Conclusion "Daily doses of Nitrosigine significantly improved Trail Making Test B times, with effects seen in as little as 10 min after dosing and continued improvement with ongoing use", write the researchers. "Improvement in Trail Making Test B test times suggests improved complex processing speed in subjects treated with Nitrosigine. Improved mental flexibility is an area of potential athletic enhancement which is deserving of further research." Source: Nutrients. 2016 Nov 18;8(11). pii: E736.
Funny timing/Coincidence you mentioned L-arginine right now, I just randomly stumbled upon and bought some at Walmart this morning. Along with whey protein, that came with a free shirt. I love browsing the bodybuilding/fitness supplements section. It's like legal recreational drugs to make you feel good. , Staring at charts all day, and constantly thinking, you need all the analytical food and supplement help you can get. Exercise and feed both your left brain and right brain. Part art, part science.
Been a big fan of B-Complex for 35 years, for GREs to Comps to court appearances to ultramarathons to "Friday Algebra Marathons" (I spend 3-4 years teaching back-to-back 3hour algebra courses, followed by a 3-hour stat course. UGH.) and then daily, with trading. The 'increased acuity' notion fits into that very nicely.!! Huh! Found this: "To maintain elevated arginine levels throughout the day, arginine can be taken up to three times a day, with a combined dose total of 15-18g. Note: L-Citrulline supplementation is more effective at maintaining elevated arginine levels for long periods of time." here: https://examine.com/supplements/arginine/ So, methinks I'll be shoppin' for both!
A good source for high quality bulk powder form for amino acids is nutrabio.com. It doesn't seem like they have Nitrosigine isolated, it shows up as part of a pre-workout stack.