What are the chemicals in the brain that help with memory and focus?
Acetylcholine is the primary neurotransmitter that is used
throughout the cortex and the hippocampus to modulate attention and
to consolidate short-term memory into long-term memory.
Dopamine and norepinephrine are used in the limbic system and
the prefrontal cortex to drive the basal brain functions associated
with the reward (mesolimbic) circuit. They give us the perception
of relative pleasure vs relative pain, and steer our executive
functions toward certain activities. As such, they are important in
maintaining focus. This is why stimulant medications (such as
Adderall and Ritalin) work well...they increase levels of dopamine
in the brain.
Glutamic acid (glutamate) is also critical in learning and
memory. It binds to AMPA and NMDA receptors to encode long-term
memory.
In addition to this, there are other regulatory substances, such
as integrins, BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), and NGF
(nerve growth factor) that allow for neural plasticity, shaping and
steering the migration of neurons so that they can make
interconnections that form the basis of memory. BDNF also has an
impact on mood as well, and is said to be one of the underlying
bases behind depression.