As a brain supplement, citicoline can raise levels of important neurotransmitters, increase brain energy, and protect the brain from damage and aging.
Citicoline is a nutrient commonly sold as a brain supplement to increase overall mental performance.
But it does much more than that.
Citicoline can slow down cellular aging, increase energy to the brain, and protect it from aging and toxins.
This brain nutrient plays an important role in keeping you mentally sharp for life.
Let’s take a look at exactly how citicoline works, why it’s so effective, and the many ways it protects, nourishes, and enhances your brain.
What Is Citicoline?
Citicoline is a naturally occurring compound found in every cell of your body, but it’s particularly important for the brain.
It’s found in very few foods and not ones often found in the Western diet — mainly liver and brain.
Some citicoline can be synthesized from the choline found in choline-rich foods like eggs, beef, and seafood. (1)
But if you want the therapeutic brain benefits of citicoline, you can’t count on getting more from food beyond what your body normally manufactures.
You’ll need to take a supplement.
Citicoline goes by dozens of other names — it can get confusing!
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The most common synonym for citicoline is CDP-choline (cytidine diphosphocholine).
You’ll also see many supplements that contain Cognizin.
This is a brand name of a patented highly bioavailable form of citicoline used in some of the better brands of brain supplements and designer.
Cognizin, unlike other sources of citicoline, has been clinically tested in humans. (2)
If you are not in the US, you can find a list of international citicoline names on Drugs.com.
Now let’s get on to the exciting stuff — what citicoline can do for your brain.
Citicoline Raises Levels of Important Brain Chemicals
Your brain cells communicate with each other via brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.
Citicoline raises levels of several important neurotransmitters including acetylcholine and dopamine. (3)
Acetylcholine is the brain chemical associated with memory and learning.
You need acetylcholine to turn short-term memories into long-term ones.
Unfortunately, many prescription drugs are anticholinergic which means they block the action of acetylcholine.
A good rule of thumb is that any medication that starts with “anti,” such as antihistamines or antidepressants, is likely to affect your acetylcholine levels.
This includes seemingly innocuous over-the-counter remedies like Benadryl.
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If you take any anticholinergic medications, supplementing with citicoline will help bring your levels of acetylcholine up.
Dopamine is your “motivation molecule.”
It increases your motivation, productivity, and focus.
Low dopamine can leave you feeling depressed and “blah” with little enthusiasm for life.People low in this brain chemical often self-medicate with caffeine, sugar, and other stimulants (including substance abuse) and engage in other risky behaviors to get their dopamine boost.
Citicoline is a safe way to increase dopamine naturally.
It works in two ways — by increasing the level of dopamine and the number of dopamine receptors in the brain. (4)
Citicoline Increases Energy to the Brain
Your brain uses a lot of energy — 20% of your daily calorie and oxygen intake. (5)
But it can’t store energy and needs a constant supply.
It gets energy from blood flow to the brain usually in the form of glucose.
Citicoline enhances glucose metabolism and increases blood flow to the brain. (6)
Poor circulation to the brain can cause neurological problems including memory loss, fatigue, vertigo, and stroke. (7)
Citicoline is so effective at increasing circulation to the brain that doctors throughout Europe have been prescribing it to for years.
Another way citicoline increases brain energy is by firing up brain cell mitochondria.
Every cell in your body and brain gets energy from these little cellular powerhouses.
Citicoline increases mitochondrial energy production in the frontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for language, thinking, decision making, and planning. (8)
Citicoline Protects Your Brain From Harmful Foreign Substances
Every brain cell has a semi-permeable membrane that acts as a gatekeeper.
It lets in the nutrients, water and oxygen your brain cells need to survive while keeping out harmful foreign substances.
This membrane does this so elegantly and intelligently that Dr. Bruce Lipton, internationally recognized cell biologist and author of The Biology of Belief
, calls this membrane the brain of the cell.
, calls this membrane the brain of the cell.
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But brain cell membranes can get leaky, letting metabolic waste, heavy metals, toxins, pathogens and other unwanted invaders into your brain.
Citicoline plays an important role in cell membrane integrity.
It’s the precursor of phosphatidylcholine, a phospholipid that is a major component of brain cell membranes. (9)
It is also a natural cell membrane stabilizer, which is one of the reasons it’s so useful for treating strokes. (10)
Citicoline Slows Down Brain Cell Aging
Two major underlying causes of cellular aging are free radical damage and inflammation.
Citicoline can offset the harmful effects of both. (11)
Your brain is under constant attack from free radicals — unattached oxygen molecules that attack cells much in the same way that oxygen causes metal to rust.
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Since your brain uses so much oxygen, it’s particularly susceptible to free radical damage (also called oxidative stress).
Free radicals trigger inflammation, a major cause of cellular aging.
Brain inflammation contributes to a wide variety of brain related disorders including Alzheimer’s, ADHD, anxiety, brain fog, depression, memory loss, and stroke. (12, 13)
Citicoline Is a Nootropic
Citicoline exhibits the properties of a nootropic and is often sold as either a single ingredient supplement or included in nootropic brain supplement formulas. (14)
The term nootropic originally meant a drug that enhances learning and memory, is neuroprotective, and is very safe with few side effects. (15)
But the definition has grown broader to now include any substance, pharmaceutical or natural, that improves mental functions such as memory, intelligence, motivation, attention and concentration.
One study that compared citicoline to several popular nootropics found it improved memory and cognition as well as the “study drug” piracetam. (16)
Studies have found that citicoline can significantly improve memory, concentration, focus and attention. (17, 18, 19)
Citicoline Is Used to Treat Serious Neurological Disorders
Since citicoline is sold as a supplement, it may seem like a lightweight remedy but in fact it was initially used as a prescription-only medication.
Citicoline was originally synthesized in Japan where it was first used to help stroke victims.
Later, doctors throughout Europe prescribed it for cognitive problems although it’s now available as a supplement there as well. (20)
Citicoline shows promise in treating a wide variety of neurological conditions including age-related memory loss, stroke, brain injury, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. (21, 22)
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Here are some of the mechanisms by which citicoline can help even serious neurological disorders: (23)
- increases blood flow to the brain
- protects the brain from further damage
- builds healthy cell membranes
- increases neuroplasticity, your brain’s ability to continually change
- increases neurogenesis, the capacity to grow new brain cells
- increases acetycholine levels
Alzheimer’s patients typically have very low acetylcholine levels, often only 10% of what’s considered normal. (24)
Drugs that treat Alzheimer’s, like Aricept, work by blocking the breakdown of acetylcholine.
Citicoline Dosage and Side Effects
A typical dose of citicoline is to 250 to 1,000 mg doses taken twice a day. (25)
A daily total of 1,000 to 2,000 mg is recommended to support cognitive skills. (26)
Citicoline is generally safe.
Reported side effects are unusual but include insomnia, headache, digestive upset, change in blood pressure, blurred vision, and chest pains. (27)
Talk to your doctor before taking citicoline with levodopa, a medication used to treat Parkinson’s disease. (28)
Citicoline can enhance this drug’s effectiveness and so may require a change in medication dosage.
Citicoline and Your Brain: The Bottom Line
Citicoline is a little-known nutrient that, used as a brain supplement, can help your brain health and function in a variety of ways — by raising levels of important neurotransmitters, increasing brain energy, and protecting your brain from damage and aging.
It’s one of the few supplements that’s powerful enough to be used therapeutically for serious neurological disorders as well.
Consider it especially if you take any medications known to block the action of acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter responsible for memory and learning.
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