[A_D_E_P_T]

All in all, it's not too surprising.

The paper mentions neuroprotective effects, but it has been known for a while that nearly all types of PDE inhibitor can boost cognitive function, which has led to some interest in them as nootropics: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25464010/

There has been some interest in PDE5 inhibitors, specifically, as treatments for Alzheimer's: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S03619...

And, in a 20 year old paper, a PDE5 inhibitor appears to have direct effects on memory consolidation in an animal model: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15312986/

So, yeah, if I fancied myself at risk for dementia, I don't think it would be unwise to take viagra or sildenafil as a precautionary neuroprotective measure.

[wslh]

I also recommend to check the /r/nootropics subreddit threads [1] on the topic.

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/search?q=Phosphodiestera...

[wil421]

Does the main Viagra side effect have anything to do with it? A little more action might be helping too.

[brnt]

Can women take viagra too? For the same cognitive effect?

[A_D_E_P_T]

Yes. It's also used in neonates, both male and female, for its ability to treat pulmonary hypertension -- but also, it is now emerging, for its neuroprotective properties: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2022.8796...

From the same paper, there's some indication that its cognitive effects might be more potent in women, as "[s]everal studies have suggested that sex hormones may influence the effects of sildenafil on the brain. Female mice performed significantly better than males after sildenafil treatment following HI insult, which suggests a sex-dependent effect of sildenafil (Engels et al., 2017). The underlying mechanism might be related to the relationship between sex hormones and the NO/cGMP pathway."