|
LE Magazine September
2002
Phosphatidylserine (PS)
The Essential Brain Nutrient
Page 1 of 2
Health headlines have preached about
the necessity of calcium for bones, folic acid for the heart,
and lutein for the eyes. Likewise, a number of nutrients such
as ginkgo, SAMe and choline have been deemed helpful for the
brain. One that's absolutely vital, though, is
phosphatidylserine (PS). What makes experts so sure that we
need phosphatidylserine is that the brain actually produces
it. Aging slows the production of phosphatidylserine to
sub-optimal levels that preclude us from functioning at full
mental capacity. This is where supplementation with
phosphatidylserine comes into play. A growing body of
scientific findings supports the vital role of
phosphatidylserine in improving and reversing the damage that
age and/or disease have set in motion.
Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a phospholipid that is found in
all cells, but is most highly concentrated in the walls
(membranes) of brain cells, making up about 70% of its nerve
tissue mass. There it aids in the storage, release and
activity of many vital neurotransmitters and their receptors.
Phosphatidylserine also aids in cell-to-cell
communication.
Phosphatidylserine is involved in the upkeep and
restoration of nerve cell membranes. Among its list of
functions, phosphatidylserine stimulates the release of
dopamine (a mood regulator that also control physical
sensations, and movement), increases the production of
acetylcholine (necessary for learning and memory), enhances
brain glucose metabolism (the fuel used for brain activity),
reduces cortisol levels (a stress hormone), and boosts the
activity of nerve growth factor (NGF), which oversees the
health of cholinergic neurons.
Research has shown that dietary supplementation with
phosphatidylserine can slow and even reverse the decline of
learning, mood, memory, concentration, word recall related to
dementia or age-related cognitive impairment in middle-aged
and elderly subjects.[1]
Age-related cognitive decline
Left to its own devices, the brain will succumb to the
insults of age, starting by about the fourth or fifth decade
of life. Putting your finger on a name, face, car keys, a
phone number or a word, can become increasingly challenging
and annoying with each passing decade. The net result of
mental aging is cognitive decline, including a gradual loss of
the ability to learn, reason, concentrate and
remember-basically, a decrease in the higher brain functions.
But, as scientists are discovering, phosphatidylserine can
help prime the brain back to a more youthful level of activity
in a number of ways.
 |
In a multicenter Italian study, researchers assessed the
effects of phosphatidylserine on senile mental deterioration
and compared it to placebo. In the study, 87 test subjects,
aged 55 to 80, with moderate cognitive deterioration, received
either 300 milligrams of phosphatidylserine or a placebo for a
60-day period. Results from follow-up evaluation done at 60
days and then at 90 days, revealed improvements in the
treatment group with regards to cognitive functions such as
attention, concentration and short-term memory. Behavioral
measurements also showed improvement such as in socialization
aspects, daily living, and of being more engaged with one's
environment and self-sufficiency.[2]
A Belgian study that examined the effects of
phosphatidylserine in 35 hospitalized senile demented
patients, aged 65 to 91, with mild to moderate cognitive and
memory impairment, suggests an improved quality of life for
such patients, as it helped to alter several behaviors. In
this study, 17 patients received phosphatidylserine at 300
milligrams per day, while the other 18 were given a placebo,
over the course of six weeks. Using three different evaluation
scales, the researchers measured 49 items relevant to daily
living, which they subdivided into 10 categories. Items
included things such as dressing, feeding, bowel and bladder
control, ability to go to the toilet unaided, interpersonal
relations, relationship to the environment, behavioral
problems and verbal expression. Results indicated an
improvement in all 10 parameters.[3]
Meanwhile, U.S. scientists at the Memory Assessment Clinics
in Bethesda, MD, found that, compared to placebo, a 12-week
regimen of phosphatidylserine (300 milligrams) improved
learning and memory related to daily living, such as the
ability to learn and recall names, faces and numbers. The
study involved 149 patients, aged 50 to 75, with
age-associated memory impairment. The patients were assessed
prior to treatment with phosphatidylserine or placebo, then at
week 3, 6, 9, 12 and 16 (four weeks after treatment ended).
While improvements in three out of five evaluation criteria
were noted at three weeks (learning and recalling names and
faces, and facial recognition), the benefits seemed to fall
off as the study continued. However, a subgroup of 57 test
subjects with more severe cognitive impairment and lower daily
functioning showed improvement on both computerized and
standard neuropsychological performance tests and also on
clinical global ratings. Improvements included name-face
recall and recognition, remembering telephone numbers,
misplaced objects, test paragraphs, as well as increased
concentration. These effects seemed to last beyond the study
period. In terms of name-face recognition, the authors report
that the subgroup improved to a point that their brains
returned to a much younger cognitive age, resembling the mind
of a 52-year-old rather than someone who is 64.[4]
In a large, multicenter study of geriatric patients (494
patients, aged 65 to 93 years), from 23 geriatric or general
medicine units with moderate to severe age-related cognitive
decline, those who received phosphatidylserine treatment (300
milligrams per day for six months) showed significantly
improved behavior, such as increased motivation, initiative
and socialization, compared to the placebo group. Patients
were examined just before starting therapy, and three and six
months thereafter. The authors suggest that, "These results
are clinically important since the patients were
representative of the geriatric population commonly met in
clinical practice."[5]
Alzheimer's dementia
In Alzheimer's disease, phosphatidylserine has been said to
influence changes in the brain that can help alleviate the
symptoms of senile dementia related to this disease,[6-7] such as increasing acetylcholine
availability[8] and significantly
enhancing brain glucose metabolism.[9]
 |
In one study, 40 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease
were assigned to four groups: The first group received social
support, the second cognitive training only, the third
cognitive training with pyritinol, and the fourth cognitive
training with phosphatidylserine. The patients followed their
respective program for six months, and underwent
neuropsychological testing and brain imaging (namely positron
emission tomography, or PET) to measure cerebral glucose
metabolism, prior to and after treatment ended. Results
indicated that the treatment group with cognitive training
combined with phosphatidylserine showed a significant
enhancement of glucose uptake during the stimulation tasks in
various brain regions-meaning that more brain activity was
occurring-and an improvement in cognitive functioning, which
translated into better test performance, compared to the other
groups.[9]
In 51 patients with Alzheimer's disease, a 12-week
treatment with 300 milligrams of phosphatidylserine resulted
in significant improvement in several cognitive functions for
the treated group, compared to placebo. Differences were more
dramatic among patients with less severe cognitive impairment,
suggesting that phosphatidylserine may be useful in the early
stages of Alzheimer's disease.[10]
Meanwhile, another study involving 33 patients with early
Alzheimer's dementia demonstrated a small but significant
improvement with phosphat-idylserine in regards to global
enhancement of mental function, as revealed using
electroencephalography (EEG) mapping of brain activity.[11]
Continued on Page 2
of 2
click here for more
information on Phosphatidylserine Caps
Back to
the Magazine Forum
|