Remove the Cobwebs in Your Head With Citicoline

As we age, many of us become more concerned with things like memory, decision-making, and cognitive function. To address this problem, we must consider one of the most important organs in our body—the brain.

Brain Cell

It’s no secret that the brain’s important functions can decline over time due to factors like age, stress, or lack of sleep. Luckily, sustaining optimal brain performance doesn’t have to be difficult; you can start by increasing one very important brain-boosting nutrient found in Brain Boost & Renewal™: citicoline.

Citicoline Studies

More specifically, citicoline, also known as cytidine diphosphocholine or CDP-citicoline, is important for maintaining optimal brain health and has been clinically demonstrated to increase cognition, boost function, and offer neuroprotective benefits (1). While citicoline and its precursors are available from dietary sources such as beef tongue or liver, which are not typical in the modern American diet, supplementation is a great alternative.

Several studies have documented the brain-health benefits of citicoline. In one study published in 2008, researchers found that citicoline increased metabolism of phospholipids and promoted healthy brain activity in older adults (2).

More recently, two other studies conducted by researchers from the University of Utah’s Brain Institute found that citicoline yielded positive benefits in both healthy males and females.

In the first study, which was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled three-arm study, women between the ages of 40 and 60 who received either 250 or 500 mg of citicoline per day demonstrated significant cognitive improvements after 28 days of supplementation over the placebo (3).

In the second study, 75 healthy young men were randomly assigned to either citicoline supplementation at either 250 or 500 mg or a placebo. Over a four-week study, those who received citicoline showed improved attention, cognition speed, and accuracy compared to those who received the placebo (4).

How Citicoline Works

One mechanism underlying citicoline’s brain-supportive effects is likely its influence on the neurotransmitter dopamine. As we age, dopamine transmission and the availability of dopamine receptors decrease, contributing to decreased performance on attention and decision-making (5).

On the other hand, higher dopamine uptake has been associated with improved performance on working memory and executive-function tasks requiring attention (6). This is important because previous research has shown that citicoline increases dopamine levels (7).

In Brain Boost & Renewal specifically, citicoline is available in the form of the high-quality branded product, Cognizin®. And the product is offered as a comprehensive approach using multiple bioactives to support brain health and reduce brain aging.

With this formula, Brain Boost & Renewal helps maintain memory and promotes mental focus, concentration, and decision-making, and most importantly supports healthy brain aging.

References

1. Wurtman RJ, Regan M, Ulus I & Yu L. Effect of oral CDP-choline on plasma choline and uridine levels in humans. Biochem Pharmacol. 2000 Oct 1; 60(7):989-92.
2. Silveri MM, Dikan J, Ross AJ, Jensen JE, Kamiya T, Kawada Y, Renshaw PF & Yurgelun-Todd DA. Citicoline enhances frontal lobe bioenergetics as measured by phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy. NMR Biomed. 2008 Nov; 21(10):1066-75.
3. McGlade E, Locatelli A, Hardy J, Kamiya T, Morita M, Morishita K, Sugimura Y & Yurgelun-Todd D. Improved Attentional Performance Following Citicoline Administration in Healthy Adult Women. Food & Nutr Sci. 2012 Jun; 3(6): 769-773.
4. McGlade E, Agoston AM, DiMuzio J, Kizaki M, Nakazaki E, Kamiya T & Yurgelun-Todd D. The Effect of Citicoline Supplementation on Motor Speed and Attention in Adolescent Males. J Atten Disord. 2015 Jul; 15.
5. Volkow ND, Gur RC, Wang GJ, Fowler JS, Moberg PJ, Ding YS, Hitzemann R, Smith G & Logan J. Association between decline in brain dopamine activity with age and cognitive and motor impairment in healthy individuals. Am J Psychiatry. 1998 Mar; 155(3):344-9.
6. Nieoullon A. Dopamine and the regulation of cognition and attention. Prog Neurobiol. 2002 May; 67(1):53-83.
7. Agut J, Ortiz JA & Wurtman RJ. Cytidine (5′)diphosphocholine modulates dopamine K(+)-evoked release in striatum measured by microdialysis. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000; 920:332-5.