Ingredient news
Systematic Review Cites Mixed Evidence for Citicoline and PS in Mental Disorders
By Nutranexa News |
An 11-trial systematic review found heterogeneous evidence and concluded citicoline and phosphatidylserine should be treated as adjunctive or investigational in mental disorders.
Review Scope
A PRISMA-guided systematic review examined controlled trials of citicoline and phosphatidylserine (PS), alone or as adjuncts, on cognitive performance in children, adolescents, and adults with mental disorders. The authors searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane CENTRAL through October 2025 and included 11 studies, of which 10 were randomized controlled trials.
The review, published in Human Psychopharmacology, applied the RoB 2 and ROBINS-I tools to assess methodological quality and risk of bias.
Findings
Five studies focused on children with ADHD; PS-containing products produced significant improvements in attention and impulsivity in three studies, while two found no significant differences. Results for mood disorders, alcohol and substance use disorders, and schizophrenia were mixed, with one schizophrenia study reporting better verbal free recall without global cognitive gains.
The authors concluded that, given methodological limitations and high risk of bias, current evidence does not support citicoline or PS-containing compounds as effective cognitive enhancers in mental disorders.
Buyer Takeaway
The review is a reminder that ingredient evidence should be matched to the specific population, dose, and endpoint being claimed. Buyers qualifying cognitive ingredients for supplement lines should review primary studies directly and keep claim language aligned with what the data actually show.
Nutranexa reports the review's conclusions without endorsing any third-party product or treatment claim.