Editing Nootropic (section)

==History of term==
The term ''nootropic'' is derived {{ety|grc|''{{wikt-lang|grc|νόος}}'' (nóos)|mind||''{{wikt-lang|grc|τροπή}}'' (tropḗ)|turning}}.<ref name="Lexico"/><ref name="Giurgea1972">{{cite journal | vauthors = Giurgea C | title = [Pharmacology of integrative activity of the brain. Attempt at nootropic concept in psychopharmacology] | language = fr | journal = Actualites Pharmacologiques | volume = 25 | pages = 115–156 | date = 1972 | pmid = 4541214 }}</ref><ref name="Giurgea1977">{{cite journal| vauthors = Giurgea C, Salama M |date=January 1, 1977|title=Nootropic drugs|journal=Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=235–247 |doi=10.1016/0364-7722(77)90046-7 |quote=The term "nootropic" (noos = mind; tropein = towards) was proposed by us (Giurgea, 1972,1973) to designate psychotropic drugs}}</ref>

The first documented use of "nootropic" in reference to substances purported to increase cognitive functions was by [[Corneliu E. Giurgea|{{Nobr|Corneliu E. Giurgea}}]] in 1972.<ref name="Giurgea1972"/><ref name="Giurgea1977"/><ref name="malik">{{cite journal | vauthors = Malík M, Tlustoš P | title = Nootropics as Cognitive Enhancers: Types, Dosage and Side Effects of Smart Drugs | journal = Nutrients | volume = 14 | issue = 16 | page = 3367 | date = August 2022 | pmid = 36014874 | pmc = 9415189 | doi = 10.3390/nu14163367 | doi-access = free }}</ref> When researching a new compound, Giurgea found a spectrum of effects that did not align with any psychotropic drug category, leading to his proposal of a new category and the concept of the term nootropic.<ref name="Giurgea1977"/>

Giurgea stated that nootropic drugs should have the following characteristics:

# They should enhance [[learning]] and [[memory]].
# They should enhance the resistance of learned behaviors or memories to conditions which tend to disrupt them (e.g. [[electroconvulsive shock]], [[hypoxia (medical)|hypoxia]]).
# They should protect the brain against various physical or chemical injuries.
# They should increase the efficacy of the tonic [[cerebral cortex|cortical]] control mechanisms.
# They should lack the usual pharmacology of other [[psychotropic]] drugs (e.g. [[sedation]], motor stimulation) and possess few [[adverse effect]]s and low [[toxicity]].

However, there is no globally accepted or clinical definition of a nootropic. Most compounds described as nootropic do not correspond to Giurgea's characteristics.<ref name="malik" />