Supplement

CDP-Choline

CDP-choline, or citicoline, is a compound the body uses to build phospholipids, the fats in brain cell membranes, and to support acetylcholine. People mostly look at it for stroke recovery, where the evidence is moderate, and small trials in older adults found better memory and modest gains in attention. Those studies were small, with about 100 people or fewer, so the evidence behind them is limited.

Sources: PMID 8624220

Updated 30 September 2026
How we grade
6 studies cited

Best evidence: Grade C
Conditions studied: 8
Outcomes: 15
Graded outcomes: 0073

Evidence by condition

Strong
Moderate
Limited
Very limited

8 conditions

Age Associated Memory Impairment And Cognitive Decline Aamcd

Age Associated Memory Impairment And Cognitive Decline Aamcd: outcomes studied for CDP-Choline
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Memory Small improvement in memory parameters	Improves (the measure goes up)	Small effect	1 study	100 people
Studies that measured memory Citicoline improves verbal memory in agingArch Neurol · PMID 8624220
	Cognitive Decline Modest improvement in cognitive function in elderly	Improves (the measure goes down)	Moderate effect		150 people

Cocaine Abuse

Cocaine Abuse: outcomes studied for CDP-Choline
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Cocaine Addiction Symptoms Small improvement in addiction markers	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect	1 study	73 people
Studies that measured cocaine addiction symptoms Effects of daily treatment with citicoline: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in cocaine-dependent volunteersJ Addict Med · PMID 21769048
	Bipolar Disorder Symptoms No effect		NoneNo effect	1 study	44 people
Studies that measured bipolar disorder symptoms A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of citicoline add-on therapy in outpatients with bipolar disorder and cocaine dependenceJ Clin Psychopharmacol · PMID 17873684

Glaucoma

Visual acuity (VA): improves
Intraocular Pressure

Glaucoma: outcomes studied for CDP-Choline
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Visual acuity (VA) Small Improvement	Improves (the measure goes up)	Small effect	1 study	60 people
Studies that measured visual acuity (va) Evidence of the neuroprotective role of citicoline in glaucoma patientsProg Brain Res · PMID 18929133
	Intraocular Pressure No effect on intraocular pressure		NoneNo effect		60 people

Age-Associated Memory Impairment and Cognitive Decline (AAMCD)

Blood Pressure: improves
Memory: improves
Cognitive Decline: changes; see studies

Age-Associated Memory Impairment and Cognitive Decline (AAMCD): outcomes studied for CDP-Choline
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Blood Pressure Small Improvement	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect	1 study	24 people
Studies that measured blood pressure Citicoline improves memory performance in elderly subjectsMethods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol · PMID 9203170
	Memory	Improves (the measure goes up)		1 study	24 people
Studies that measured memory Citicoline improves verbal memory in agingArch Neurol · PMID 8624220
	Cognitive Decline	Changes; see studies			24 people

Weight Loss & Maintenance

Appetite: improves
Weight: changes; see studies

Weight Loss & Maintenance: outcomes studied for CDP-Choline
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Appetite Small Decrease	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect	1 study	16 people
Studies that measured appetite Citicoline affects appetite and cortico-limbic responses to images of high-calorie foodsInt J Eat Disord · PMID 19260039
	Weight	Changes; see studies			16 people

Focus & Attention

Attention: improves

Focus & Attention: outcomes studied for CDP-Choline
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Attention Modest improvement in attention tasks	Improves (the measure goes up)	Small effect		100 people

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder Symptoms
Cocaine Addiction Symptoms: changes; see studies

Bipolar Disorder: outcomes studied for CDP-Choline
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Bipolar Disorder Symptoms No significant effect on bipolar symptoms		NoneNo effect	1 study	44 people
Studies that measured bipolar disorder symptoms A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of citicoline add-on therapy in outpatients with bipolar disorder and cocaine dependenceJ Clin Psychopharmacol · PMID 17873684
	Cocaine Addiction Symptoms	Changes; see studies		1 study	44 people
Studies that measured cocaine addiction symptoms Effects of daily treatment with citicoline: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in cocaine-dependent volunteersJ Addict Med · PMID 21769048

Cognitive Improvement

Memory: improves

Cognitive Improvement: outcomes studied for CDP-Choline
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Memory	Improves (the measure goes up)		1 study	95 people
Studies that measured memory Citicoline improves verbal memory in agingArch Neurol · PMID 8624220

Key findings

MemoryImproves (the measure goes up)
Cocaine Addiction SymptomsCocaine AbuseImproves (the measure goes down)
Visual acuity (VA)GlaucomaImproves (the measure goes up)

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Third-party tested CDP-Choline products. The evidence above is limited, so read it before you buy.

Grade C

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Studies cited

6 studies from PubMed

Evidence of the neuroprotective role of citicoline in glaucoma patientsProg Brain Res · PMID 18929133
A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of citicoline add-on therapy in outpatients with bipolar disorder and cocaine dependenceJ Clin Psychopharmacol · PMID 17873684
Effects of daily treatment with citicoline: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in cocaine-dependent volunteersJ Addict Med · PMID 21769048
Citicoline affects appetite and cortico-limbic responses to images of high-calorie foodsInt J Eat Disord · PMID 19260039
Citicoline improves memory performance in elderly subjectsMethods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol · PMID 9203170
Citicoline improves verbal memory in agingArch Neurol · PMID 8624220