CDP-choline (Citicoline)

Information

CDP-choline (Citicoline), otherwise known as cytidine 5’-diphosphocholine, is a compound with nootropic properties discovered in 1950s which crosses very easily the blood-brain barrier.

After getting into the body, CDP-choline is broken down into choline and cytidine with a positive impact on the function of the nervous system. Cytidine is converted in turn into uridine – a component of nucleic acids which helps maintain normal mental performance. Choline is in turn a very important substrate for acetylcholine production and thus increases focus and mental clarity.

Despite of its great efficacy in penetrating the blood-brain barrier, CDP-choline boosts choline levels in the brain less effectively than alpha-GPC. This is due to the fact that a citicoline molecule provides smaller amounts of choline (about 18.5%). In comparison with choline bitartrate, CDP-choline has much higher bioavailability (even more than 95%). Citicoline also prevails over it due to the content of cytidine which is a precursor to uridine.