Your brain may be only 2% of your body weight, but it powers everything you do—and it needs both nutrients and hydration to perform at its best.Cognizin® delivers a patented form of citicoline to support focus, memory, and mental energy, while proper hydration helps maintain clarity, neurotransmission, and overall cognitive performance.
Eri Nakazaki, Traci M. Blonquist, Kristen Taggart, and Eunice Mah
Rationale: Citicoline, also known as CDP choline, is a naturally occurring mononucleotide involved in phospholipid metabolism and neurotransmitter synthesis. While citicoline supplementation has demonstrated cognitive benefits in populations with various impairments, fewer studies have examined its effects on attention in healthy adults experiencing attention related challenges.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether daily supplementation with Cognizin citicoline would improve sustained attention and related cognitive performance measures in healthy men and women with poor attention.
Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted involving 148 healthy men and women between 35 and 75 years of age with poor sustained attention. Participants were assigned to receive either Cognizin (500 mg/day) or placebo for 12 weeks. Cognitive performance was assessed at baseline and at the end of the intervention using the Computerized Mental Performance Assessment System (COMPASS), which measures attention, reaction time, and information processing speed. Safety assessments included monitoring adverse events and hematology and clinical chemistry parameters.
Results: Per protocol analysis included 127 participants who met predefined study criteria. After 12 weeks of supplementation, participants receiving Cognizin citicoline demonstrated statistically significant improvements compared with placebo in:
Results from the intention-to-treat analysis showed directional consistency with the per-protocol findings. No adverse events related to the study product were reported, and safety markers remained stable throughout the study period.
Conclusions: Regular supplementation with Cognizin citicoline was safe and well-tolerated and supported improvements in sustained attention, mental energy, reaction time, and information processing speed in healthy adult men and women with poor attention. These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting Cognizin for attention related cognitive performance in healthy populations.
Erin McGlade, Anna Monica Agoston, Jennifer DiMuzio, Miho Kizaki, Eri Nakazaki, Toshikazu Kamiya, Deborah Yurgelun-Todd
Objective: This study assessed the effects of citicoline, a nutraceutical, on attention, psychomotor function, and impulsivity in healthy adolescent males.
Method: Seventy-five healthy adolescent males were randomly assigned to either the citicoline group ( n = 51 with 250 or 500 mg citicoline) or placebo ( n = 24). Participants completed the Ruff 2&7 Selective Attention Test, Finger Tap Test, and the Computerized Performance Test, Second Edition (CPT-II) at baseline and after 28 days of supplementation.
Results: Individuals receiving citicoline exhibited improved attention ( p = 0.02) and increased psychomotor speed ( p = 0.03) compared with those receiving placebo. Higher weight-adjusted dose significantly predicted increased accuracy on an attention task ( p = 0.01), improved signal detectability on a computerized attention task ( p = 0.03), and decreased impulsivity ( p = 0.01).
Discussion: Adolescent males receiving 28 days of Cognizin® citicoline showed improved attention and psychomotor speed and reduced impulsivity compared to adolescent males who received placebo.
Marisa M. Silveri, Jessica Dikan, Amy J. Ross, Julie E. Jensen, Toshikazu Kamiya, Yasuyuki Kawada, Perry F. Renshaw, and Deborah A. Yurgelun-Todd
Rationale: Earlier magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies found that oral citicoline influences phosphorus metabolites involved in brain energy and membrane function. However, those studies relied on low-powered scanners that lacked the resolution to detect regional changes. This study addressed those limitations by using a high-field 4 Tesla scanner and enhanced imaging methods.
Objectives: This study used high-field phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) to evaluate the effects of six weeks of Cognizin® Citicoline supplementation on brain energy metabolism and membrane phospholipid turnover in healthy adults. Researchers aimed to characterize regional changes in high-energy phosphate metabolites and membrane-related compounds in the anterior cingulate cortex and parieto-occipital cortex.
Methods: Sixteen healthy adults participated in a six-week study using advanced brain imaging techniques. Participants took either 500 mg or 2000 mg of Cognizin® Citicoline daily. Researchers used high-resolution phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P MRS) at 4 Tesla to measure metabolite levels in two brain regions: the anterior cingulate cortex and the parieto-occipital cortex.
Results: After six weeks of Cognizin® Citicoline supplementation, participants showed significant increases in brain energy metabolism and membrane synthesis, localized to the anterior cingulate cortex. Specifically:
These effects were not observed in the parieto-occipital region, underscoring the regional specificity of citicoline’s action.
Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that Cognizin® Citicoline supplementation improves frontal lobe bioenergetics and alters phospholipid membrane turnover. In the anterior cingulate cortex, ATP levels increased by 14% and membrane phospholipid formation increased by 26%. By increasing cellular energy metabolism and supporting the synthesis of membrane components, citicoline may help mitigate cognitive declines associated with aging.
Killgore WD, Ross AJ, Kamiya T, Kawada Y, Renshaw PF, Yurgelun-Todd DA.
Objective: Cytidine-5'-diphosphocholine (citicoline) has a variety of cognitive enhancing, neuroprotective, and neuroregenerative properties. In cocaine-addicted individuals, citicoline has been shown to increase brain dopamine levels and reduce cravings. The effects of this compound on appetite, food cravings, and brain responses to food are unknown.
Method: We compared the effects of treatment with Cognizin citicoline (500 mg/day versus 2,000 mg/day) for 6 weeks on changes in appetite ratings, weight, and cortico-limbic responses to images of high-calorie foods using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Results: After 6 weeks, there was no significant change in weight status, although significant declines in appetite ratings were observed for the 2,000 mg/day group. The higher dose group also showed significant increases in functional brain responses to food stimuli within the amygdala, insula, and lateral orbitofrontal cortex. Increased activation in these regions correlated with declines in appetite ratings.
Discussion: These preliminary findings suggest a potential usefulness of citicoline in modulating appetite, but further research is warranted.