behavior in children with this condition. Hepatic encephalopathy: ALCAR has been studied in hepatic encephalopathy, a complication of cirrhosis involving neuropsychiatric impairment; ALCAR improves blood ammonia levels and generates a modest improvement in psychometric scores but does not resolve the condition – it may play a minor role in managing the condition. Studies In a small clinical study, when ALCAR was administered intravenously and insulin levels were held steady and a meal low in carnitine but high in carbohydrates was taken by healthy young men, ALCAR appeared to decrease glucose consumption in favor of fat oxidation. Mitochondrial decay and oxidative damage to RNA/DNA increases with age in the rat hippocampus, a region of the brain associated with memory. Memory performance declines with age. These increases in decay and damage, and memory loss itself, can be partially reversed in old rats by feeding acetyl-L-carnitine. References Other reviews Carnitine (L-carnitine), University of Maryland Medical Center Acetate esters Amino acid derivatives Anti-aging substances Salts of carboxylic acids Dietary supplements Quaternary ammonium compounds