Supplement
D-serine is an amino acid made in the brain that helps switch on NMDA receptors, which nerve cells use to communicate, learn and form memories. People mostly look at it for schizophrenia, and studies of it added to usual medication found that overall symptoms and thinking skills improved, with moderate evidence for cognition and limited evidence for symptoms. The studies were small, involving a few hundred people at most, so the picture is still preliminary.
Sources: PMID 9836012; PMID 22795211
- Updated
- How we grade
- 7 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade B
- Conditions studied
- 6
- Outcomes
- 25
- Graded outcomes
- 0140
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognition Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 262 people | |||
| Schizophrenia symptoms Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 6 studies | 429 people | ||
Studies that measured schizophrenia symptoms
| ||||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety Symptoms Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 35 people | |||
| Reaction Time | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 35 people | |||
Studies that measured reaction time | ||||||
| Attention | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
| Serum BDNF | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
| Subjective Well-Being | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
| Verbal Fluency | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
| Working Memory | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
Focus & Attention
- Anxiety Symptoms: improves
- Reaction Time: improves
- Attention: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety Symptoms Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 35 people | |||
| Reaction Time | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 35 people | |||
Studies that measured reaction time | ||||||
| Attention | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
| Serum BDNF | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
| Subjective Well-Being | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
| Verbal Fluency | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
| Working Memory | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
Mood Improvement
- Anxiety Symptoms: improves
- Reaction Time: improves
- Attention: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety Symptoms Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 35 people | |||
| Reaction Time | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 35 people | |||
Studies that measured reaction time | ||||||
| Attention | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
| Serum BDNF | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
| Subjective Well-Being | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
| Verbal Fluency | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
| Working Memory | Improves (the measure goes up) | 35 people | ||||
Parkinson's Disease
- Parkinson's Disease Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parkinson's Disease Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 1 study | 13 people | |||
Studies that measured parkinson's disease symptoms | ||||||
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 1 study | 22 people | |||
Studies that measured post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms | ||||||
Key findings
- CognitionImproves (the measure goes up)
- Schizophrenia symptomsImproves (the measure goes down)
- Anxiety SymptomsImproves (the measure goes down)
Shop the evidence-backed picks
Third-party tested D-Serine products, in the forms the graded studies used where we can match them.
- Grade B
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Studies cited
7 studies from PubMed
- D-serine added to antipsychotics for the treatment of schizophrenia
- A multicenter, add-on randomized controlled trial of low-dose d-serine for negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia
- D-serine efficacy as add-on pharmacotherapy to risperidone and olanzapine for treatment-refractory schizophrenia
- High dose D-serine in the treatment of schizophrenia
- Behavioral and cognitive effects of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor co-agonist D-serine in healthy humans: initial findings
- Pilot controlled trial of D-serine for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder
- D-serine adjuvant treatment alleviates behavioural and motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease