DMAE

What is DMAE?

DMAE is short for dimethylaminoethanol, an amine-based alcohol that occurs abundantly in fish such as sardines and anchovies (R). It is also known as deanol.

An analog of choline, DMAE was once thought to be a possible precursor of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine due to reports of its elevating brain choline and acetylcholine levels (R), but its influence on brain choline and acetylcholine levels is now known to be due at least in part to its competitive inhibition of choline uptake from the bloodstream into the brain (R) as well as its inhibition of choline metabolism in tissues (R), leading to an accumulation of free choline which later enters the brain.

Apart from its uses in cosmetic formulations, DMAE has in the past been used as a treatment for neurological disorders including ADHD (R), senile dementia (R) and tardive dyskinesia (R).

Does DMAE get absorbed?

DMAE's very small molecular weight of 89.14 daltons suggests that it should be absorbed by the skin (R), but there have not been any studies on the skin absorption of DMAE to our knowledge.