How we rate
“Strong” = several concordant meta-analyses or systematic reviews. “Moderate” = one synthesis, or several controlled trials. “Limited” = early trials only. The rating is about the quality of the studies, not about how useful the supplement is.
Citicoline
A compound identical to a natural brain cell precursor, sold as a nootropic. Its most robust and recent trials concern stroke and traumatic brain injury, not the memory of a healthy person.
Benefits
- Based on pooled data from over 1370 patients who suffered a moderate-to-severe ischemic stroke (4 trials), complete recovery at 3 months is more frequent with oral citicoline (25.2%) than with placebo (20.2%), with a more pronounced effect at 2000 mg/day
- A meta-analysis of 10 trials (nearly 2300 patients) following a stroke associates citicoline with a reduced risk of death or disability
- In 40 patients with open-angle glaucoma, 1000 mg per day for 60 days improves retinal and cortical responses to light, a benefit partially maintained after stopping treatment
- In about a hundred acute stroke patients, a more marked reduction in brain lesion volume between week 1 and week 12 was observed with citicoline, associated with clinical improvement
Precautions
Well tolerated in all trials, with no serious side effects reported. Most importantly: the largest and most recent trials are negative. In over 1200 patients who suffered a traumatic brain injury, the COBRIT trial found no difference between citicoline and placebo on functional and cognitive recovery at 90 and 180 days. In over 2000 patients who suffered an ischemic stroke, the international ICTUS trial also found no difference in recovery at 90 days. Two previous phase III trials, on 900 and 400 patients, showed no significant difference on their primary endpoint. Finally, and this is the most important point for the use sold in supplements: none of the studies cited here involve a healthy person looking to improve their memory or concentration. All available literature concerns patients who are stroke victims, traumatic brain injury patients, or glaucoma patients, under medical supervision — nothing documents the daily "nootropic" use for which citicoline is sold in dietary supplements.
Recommended dosage
Clinical trials use 500 to 2000 mg per day, under medical supervision (stroke, traumatic brain injury, glaucoma). No dosage protocol exists for wellness use in a healthy person.
Did you know?
One might think that citicoline is a complex synthetic drug, but it is actually a substance identical to a natural precursor already present in our cells, which simply breaks down into choline and cytidine before being reused by the brain.
What the studies say
Cette analyse regroupant les données individuelles de quatre essais cliniques (plus de 1370 patients) a évalué l'effet de la citicoline orale (500, 1000 ou 2000 mg) prise dans les 24 heures suivant un AVC ischémique modéré à sévère. La récupération complète à 3 mois était plus fréquente chez les patients traités par citicoline (25,2 %) que sous placebo (20,2 %), avec un effet plus marqué à la dose de 2000 mg. La sécurité de la citicoline était comparable à celle du placebo.
Dávalos A, Castillo J, Alvarez-Sabín J, Secades JJ, Mercadal J, López S, Cobo E, Warach S, Sherman D, Clark WM, Lozano R. — Stroke (2002) — View the source study
For information only: not a substitute for medical advice. Dietary supplements are not a replacement for a varied, balanced diet. Learn more