I'd manipulate myself into understanding the knowledge that I retain currently, and this would create an exponential growth in my mind, and I would be a more refined entity at the very instant that the mental injection took fluid effect in my younger self.

All of my thoughts were there, they just had not bloomed. They had no social benefits. Too self-serving. The ultimate goal would be to take advantage of a past lifeform in order to give your current self optimum advantage in where it truly matters; right now.