People taking the oral dietary supplement Citicoline show improvement in memory and cognition according to Italian scientists presenting the results of a multicenter study presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference® 2012. 

IDEALE study is a multi-center study in Italy to assess the effectiveness and safety of oral citicoline in people with mild vascular cognitive impairment. Citicoline is a dietary supplement that may increase the availability of certain neurotransmitters. At nine months, a significant difference was found on the MMSE, a test of memory and cognition, between citicoline users and non-users.

The IDEALE study, led by Pietro Gareri, M.D., Ph.D., of the Ambulatory Center for Dementia, Catanzaro, Italy, is a multicenter study in six regions of Italy to assess the effectiveness and safety of citicoline in 265 people aged 65+ with mild vascular cognitive impairment.

Citicoline is a dietary supplement available in more than 70 countries. Citicoline may increase the availability of certain neurotransmitters, including acetylcholine, norepinephrine, and dopamine; and neuronal membrane phospholipids, chiefly phosphatidylcholine, which are major constituents of cell membranes.

Participants in IDEALE included older adults with Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores ≥21 or people with subjective memory complaints, no evidence of deficits on MMSE and evidence of vascular lesions on brain scans. People with probable Alzheimer's disease were excluded. The study group received 500 mg of oral citicoline twice a day. Participants underwent brain imaging scans, and testing for thyroid function, cognition/memory (MMSE), independent functioning (ADL, IADL), and mood at the beginning of the study, after three months, and after nine months.

The researchers found that, after nine months, the people taking citicoline showed a slight but not significant benefit in MMSE score (22.4 at baseline, 22.9 after nine months). Those who were not taking citicoline declined (21.5 at baseline, 19.6 at nine months). The difference between the two groups was statistically significant. No adverse events were recorded.

"This study showed that citicoline is effective and well tolerated in mild vascular cognitive impairment," Gareri said "When cognitive testing scores over nine months remain unchanged in people developing cognitive impairment, we think this may be considered a good outcome."