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Boost Your Mental Energy

Your brain is the master computer that controls every living process in your body, both conscious and unconscious. It relies on specialized cells called neurons that transmit electrical signals to and from other cells. They tell your heart to beat and your hand to move; they enable you to learn and remember; they let you perceive that you are hot or cold or stubbed your toe.

There are about 100 billion neurons in the brain, firing messages across trillions of microscopic gaps between cells each moment of your life. To accomplish all this, neurons have a very high demand for energy. Their main fuel is glucose, the simplest form of sugar to which all carbohydrates and sugars are broken down.

Glucose is metabolized inside the cell’s mitochondria to create a high-energy compound called ATP. The neuron uses ATP to synthesize other compounds and to generate electrical impulses that travel throughout the nervous system. The more efficiently brain cells can produce energy, the better the brain functions as a whole.

However, this efficiency declines with age, partly from the gradual damage of pollutants, stress, drugs or alcohol; sometimes from a lack of adequate nutrition, oxygen or blood flow; and partly from the aging process itself. As we move into our elder years, the accumulated effects of such damage begin to appear as forgetfulness and reduced processing of sensory stimuli. Memories are harder to access, especially recent memories. Reflexes slow down. Sounds, light and smells must be stronger in order to be perceived.

Neurons in the aging brain need more of certain nutrients than they once did in order to maintain their efficiency.

Citicoline is a brain nutrient that has been gaining increased attention in recent years because of its ability to support brain function and ameliorate some of the ravages of time. One way that citicoline supports brain health is by increasing the activity of the mitochondria in neurons to produce energy, particularly high-energy ATP.

Increased energy production in the neurons supports their work at the cellular level, such as repair and maintenance of membranes, synthesis of vital brain chemicals and propagation of electrical impulses. Healthier cell function in turn supports all the larger processes of the brain, which we experience as thought, memory, sensations and control of motor functions.

Confirming the findings of earlier animal studies, a new study in human volunteers recently confirmed the ability of citicoline to improve brain energy.

The study, conducted at the Brain Imaging Center at McLean Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, used the latest brain scanning technology to monitor brain activity in subjects who took supplements of citicoline (sold under the brand name Cognizin®). After six weeks of supplementation, all subjects showed increased levels of specific markers for ATP and increased activity in the frontal lobe region of their brains.¹

This is important because the frontal lobe is the highest “executive branch” of the brain, directing complex thought, decision-making and attention. Furthermore, age-related declines in cognitive abilities are largely related to deteriorating frontal lobe function. Scientists believe that citicoline’s capacity to increase frontal lobe “bioenergetics” may be one of the reasons why this compound has shown success in improving cognitive function in older people.

The benefits of Cognizin® have been demonstrated in clinical studies of both healthy older individuals and those with mild to moderate cognitive impairment. In healthy older adults (mildly forgetful but not senile), supplementation with Cognizin citicoline improved both immediate and delayed recall of words and objects.² Delayed recall is a measure of short-term memory.

In older adults with cognitive impairment, supplementation with Cognizin citicoline improved measures of cognitive function including short and long-term memory, attention, perceptual-motor capacity, and behavioral and emotional control.³

In animal studies, Cognizin citicoline significantly increased levels of ATP in the brain, decreased the area of damage in brain-damaged animals,⁴ improved glucose metabolism, and restored the ability of the brain to produce an important neurotransmitter (a chemical compound brain cells use to communicate).⁵

These and many other studies have confirmed the benefits of citicoline in helping preserve general cognitive function and memory in the aging brain. Thus, for aging Americans who want to boost their mental energy, dietary supplementation with Cognizin citicoline may be a smart option.

References

1. Silveri MM, Dikan J, Ross AJ et al. Oral citicoline supplementation alters phosphorus metabolites in the anterior cingulated cortex [abstract]. In: Society for Neuroscience 37th annual meeting; 2007 Nov 3-7; San Diego, CA: Neurology 2007, Session 301.
2. Alvarez XA, Laredo M, Corzo D, et al. Citicoline improvise memory performance in elderly subjects. Meth Find Exp Clin Pharmacol. 1997;19(3):201-10.
3. Secades JJ, Lorenzo JL. CDP-choline: pharmacological and clinical review, 2006 update. Meth Find Exp Clin Pharmacol. 2006;27(Suppl B):1-56.
4. Hurtado O, Moro MA, Cárdenas A, et al. Neuroprotection afforded byprior citicoline administration in experimental brain ischemia: effects on glutamate transport. Neurobiol Dis. 2005;18:336-45.
5. Kakihana M, Kato,J, Narumi S, et al. CDP-choline: Distribution of radioactive CDP-choline and effect on glucose metabolism in the cerebral cortex of rats with 30-min cerebral ischemia. Jpn Pharmacol Ther. 1985;13(9):241-53.