Europeans are using this form of choline to treat various forms of neurological impairment, including stroke, trauma, memory-learning deficits and dementia. This new choline analog is currently in clinical trials in the United States, where FDA approval will be sought for its use in the restoration of cerebral function lost to stroke. The effects have been so dramatic that some patients have actually shown a reduction in the size of the infarct caused by their stroke. Those with healthy neurological function may consider lower doses of CDP-choline to protect against brain aging and stimulate cognitive function. Brain cells use choline to support the integrity of the cell membrane, protect against neurotoxins, synthesize neurotransmitters, and support brain cell metabolic function.
Brain cells produce very small amounts of choline, thereby necessitating dietary sources.
Popular dietary supplements that provide choline to the brain are lecithin, phosphatidylcholine, DMAE, centrophenoxine, and choline itself. Choline from food or supplements is absorbed into the bloodstream. From the bloodstream, the blood-brain barrier selectively allows choline into the central nervous system where it is incorporated as phosphatidylcholine into the membranes of brain cells. Phosphatidylcholine is the major structural and functional component of brain cell membranes. Without phosphatidylcholine, brain cells lose their youthful function and suffer the degenerative structural changes associated with aging.