PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE can be an
important supplement for improving mental functions, such as memory.
Information below is given as a
public service and is not to be construed as promoting any specific
manufacturer.
This site has no financial interest
in any of the material here.
PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE may be found in
many health food stores produced by a variety of manufacturers.
Actions:
- Stabilizes cellular internal environment:
The nerve cells are constantly under activation, and this
means that their inner electrolyte environment must constantly be adjusted.
This is the job of the ATPase's, which regulate the sodium-potassium balance
and the calcium-magnesium balance. PS improves the actions of the ATPase's and
also the ratio of cholesterol to phospholipids found in cell membranes.
Cell renewal and multiplication is largely controlled by
small protein molecules which pass between cells and trigger receptors in the
membranes. Nerve growth factor (NGF) stimulates receptors which typically
decline in density with age. PS appears to be able to partially block this
decline and to stimulate NGF synthesis.
- Activates cell-to-cell communication:
Components found on the surface of cell membranes tell the
immune system which cells are in need of "recycling." The translocation of PS
from the inner membrane to outer side is one such signal. Aging cells
communicate this information less well. Adding PS to the diet partially
normalizes cell communication which has been degraded by age. PS also may be
important for nerve receptor function,
- Improves cell receptor functioning:
The membrane receptors of the cells rely upon the various
phospholipids. PS apparently is especially important for protein kinase C and
adenylate cyclase, two of the major signal transduction complexes.
- Prepares cell vesicles for activity:
Vesicles, small enclosed sacs within the cells which may
attach to the membrane, secrete most of the hormones, neural transmitters and
other chemicals which cells use for signaling. PS may improve the ability of
these vesicles to fuse with the cell membrane and thereby perform their
functions.
PS -- Don't Forget to Take Your
Phosphaddylserine
Studies show this
nutrient,
derived from soy
phospholipids, may actually help you remember better.
By Frank Murray
If you have temporarily misplaced a familiar object-such as
your car keys-and haven't a clue where you left it, or cannot remember
telephone numbers that you used to know, you are one of the millions of people
who have momentary memory lapses as they age.
Don't worry—you're not headed for senility or Alzheimer's
disease. But is there a nutritional supplement that can enter the brain and
jump-start the memory process?
Yes. It's called phosphatidylserine— PS for short—and is
derived from soy phospholipids. A naturally occurring phospho-lipid nutrient,
PS is essential for the functioning of the body's cells, especially brain
cells, where it is mostly concentrated. PS is rapidly absorbed and crosses the
blood-brain barrier, where it reaches the brain minutes after being absorbed.
Clinical studies going back to the 1970s suggest that PS,
as a dietary supplement, can help to maintain or improve cognitive functions
in mature adults, especially when combined with exercise and a healthful diet.
PS is not found in foods, and only negligible amounts turn up in lecithin
preparations, which are also derived from soy. Due to age, many otherwise
healthy people lose as much as 50 percent of their ability to perform regular
tasks associated with memory and cognition (i.e., the ability to think clearly
and reason). Researchers are now concentrating on how nutrition and other
intervention can slow the brain's deterioration, thereby conserving the
quality of mental functions throughout life.
In 1991, T.H. Crook, Ph.D., of the Memory Assessment
Clinics in Bethesda, Md., in conjunction with researchers from the Vanderbilt
University School of Medicine, Nashville, Stanford University, Palo Alto,
Calif., and a pharmaceutical company in Italy, conducted a study involving 149
volunteers, ranging in age from 50 to 75.
[Neurology, 1991; 41: 644-9)
Each of the participants received 300 mg/day of PS (100 mg
in three equal doses), vs. a placebo group, for 12 weeks. Assessments were
made periodically during the study, as well as four weeks after the therapy
was terminated. The researchers reported that PS was well tolerated, and after
three weeks of PS supplementation, the volunteers had improved in three
primary categories: learning names and faces; recalling names and faces; and
facial recognition.
Since this progress was not maintained through the full 12
weeks of the study, the research team segregated a subgroup of 57 people who
were relatively memory-impaired. Their average age was 64.3, and they
responded better to PS. While improving in the just-named variables, they also
exhibited a significant improvement in: telephone number recall; misplaced
objects recall; paragraph recall (Wechsler Memory Scale-Logical Memory
Subtest); and ability to concentrate while reading, conversing and performing
tasks.
The researchers stated that PS had improved the subgroup's
performance by an average of two points in their ability to learn names and
faces, essentially "rolling back the clock" about 12 years. So, a volunteer
with a cognitive age of 64 was restored, on average, to a cognitive age of 52,
prompting the research team to conclude, "The magnitude of effect may be
considered significant by many subjects and clinicians."
In 1992, Crook's memory assessment clinics, Vanderbilt
University and a pharma-ceutical company in Italy conducted a test involving
51 people, ranging in age from 55 to 85, with an average age of 71, as well as
those assigned to the placebo group. {Psychopharmacol. Bull., 1992;
28:61-6)
In the double-blind, randomized trial, those assigned to
the PS group were given 300 mg/day for 12 weeks. At the end of the study, the
researchers reported that the PS-treated volunteers had showed improvement in
the following categories:
• Memory for names of familiar persons;
• Names of interviewers or clinic staff.
• Recall of the location of frequently misplaced objects.
• Recall of details of events from the previous day.
• Recall of details of events from within the past week.
In Italy, C. Villardita and colleagues conducted a
double-blind study involving 170 volunteers. They ranged in age from 55 to 80,
with an average age of 65.7. The PS group was given 300 mg daily of PS (100 mg
three times a day), while the other group received a placebo. The study ran
for three months, and a number of neuropsychological tests were administered
at 45 days into the study and again at the end of the trial. (Clinical
Trials Journal. 1987; 24: 84-93)
The researchers reported that. at the end of the 90-day period, 12 of 24
test batteries had reached statistical significance in favor of PS. In
addition, improvements on the tests for attention and vigilance were said to
be significant.
PS considerably improved the volunteers' performance on the
Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, which determines immediate recall, and on
the Semantic Memory Test, which evaluates immediate and delayed recall. Based
on these and other cognitive tests, the Italian researchers concluded that PS
can benefit brain-based processes.
The largest and longest-running study involving PS was
conducted in 1993, and the results are still being analyzed. This trial
involved 425 volunteers, whose ages ranged from 65 to 93. They were selected
from 23 institutions in northern Italy, and all of the participants had
moderate to severe cognitive atrophy. (Aging Clin. Exp. Res., 1993;
5:123-33)
The volunteers were divided into groups:
The treatment group received 300 mg/day of PS, while the
comparison group received a placebo for six months. Memory and learning scores
were significantly higher in the PS group, the researchers report.
Another double-blind study, as yet unpublished, which was
conducted at the Geriatric Institute for Education and Research and the
department of geriatrics, Kaplan Hospital, Rehovot, Israel, in 1995, confirmed
that soy-based PS can improve both memory and cognition in healthy seniors.
The Israeli team established that, at the end of the
three-month trial, the PS group had improved significantly over the placebo
group in manipulating information, in visual and numerical recall and in mood.
In this study, 72 healthy seniors, ranging in age from 60 to 80, received
either 300 mg/day of plant PS or a placebo consisting of 500 mg/day of
lecithin.
Similar results were reported in an open,
placebo-controlled study involving men who had disturbances in their daily
"clock" (the 24-hour circadian rhythm). Some people suffer from depression and
the "winter blues" during the winter months. According to researchers, PS
restored the daily rhythm of thyrotropin hormone secretion, thereby correcting
the problem. (Chronobiologia, 1990; 17:267-74)
In still another trial, 40 women with "psycho-organic"
dysfunctions were given PS intramuscularly. Most of the patients reportedly
improved with PS, and histo-chemical and blood analysis failed to find any
significant side effects. (La Clinica Tlierapeutica, 1987; 120:33-6)
PS can also benefit healthy, young subjects, according to
another study. In both trials, the researchers studied healthy men who were
subjected to exercise-induced stress. When the volunteers were pre-treated
with PS, this lowered stress-hormone production, the researchers report. {Neuroendocrinol.,
1990; 52: 243-8; European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 1992;
41:385-8)
In 23 published clinical studies, of which 12 were
double-blind, there is apparently no danger from long-term use of PS. In a few
cases, taking 200 mg or more as a single dose can lead to nausea in
susceptible people because of PS's stimulation of dopamine release. This
effect is minimized by taking PS with meals. And a few people have reported
that taking PS just before going to bed may delay their falling asleep.
If you are experiencing memory lapses and forgetfulness,
you may Find that PS can jump-start your memory process. Since PS crosses the
blood-brain barrier, it appears to be a useful dietary supplement, especially
when combined with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients as part of a
well-planned supplement program.
PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE
Technical Information (Not for Release to the General Public)
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a member of the class of
compounds known as phospholipids. These compounds are often
supplemented in the form of lecithin, but PS is not abundant in the normal
diet and is found only in trace amounts in the usual sources of lecithin.
Until recently, PS was only available from animal sources.
The phospholipids can be divided into five general classes.
Aside from phosphatidylserine, these are the phosphatidylcholines,
ethanolamines, inositols and sphingomyelins. The structures and functions of
each class vary, but each starts with the same basic configuration. The
phosphatidyl molecule is always constructed of a head group which
contains phosphorous and then one other chemical subgroup, such as serine. To
this head group is then usually attached a three-carbon backbone and
two fatty acid tails. The sphingomyelins differ from the other
phospholipids in structure.1
As is also true of cholesterol, the phospholipids are the
principal components of all cell membranes. These membranes might be
envisioned as internal and external walls which are permeable, yet relatively
solid and stable in comparison with their more fluid core. Within the
semifluid core float proteins which act as switching and control mechanisms
for cellular processes. The membrane consists of a single layer of cholesterol
with a layer of phospholipids on both its inner and its outer side. It is
these phospholipids with their attached polyunsaturated fatty acids which
supply the building blocks for prostaglandins, immune components, regulatory
signals and other physiologically important processes.2 Some
phospholipids/ primarily the inositols/ are especially active in cell signal
regulation. The cholines are involved in the functioning of various
neurotransmitters and in the production of acetylcholine.
Phosphatidylserine in particular has an affinity for the
proteins found within the cellular membrane matrix. This suggests, and
evidence confirms, that PS plays a special role in facilitating cell
functions. PS is most concentrated in the cells of the brain and nerves.
Lecithin is commercially available almost exclusively from
soybeans, albeit there is a lecithin found in egg yolks, one found in the
brain, and so forth and so on. Lecithin is a mixture of the various
phosphatides, polyunsaturated fats, and other materials which are found
naturally in the soybean. Even highly concentrated lecithins provide little or
no phosphatidylserine. For this a special process is required and strict
quality control.
PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE AND NERVE CELL FUNCTIONS
Phosphatidylserine is most plentiful in the nerve cells of
the body. Serine, Ac special component of PS, is a nonessential amino acid
which is extremely active. In the following figure, the attachment of serine
to the phospholipid is to the right. The special character of the different
classes of phospholipids depends upon which element is attached, i.e., whether
serine, choline, inositol or ethanolamine.
From: Udo Erasmus. FATS THAT HEAL, FATS THAT KILL
PS in animal studies has shown an ability to induce the
production of a number of neurotransmitters and/or to prevent their
age-related decline. These studies help to explain the clinical effects found
in humans. For instance, PS stimulates acetylcholine output and the synthesis
and release of dopamine. In aging rats, it even reset circadian and estrus
rhythms. Of special interest, tests of the electrical signal strength
associated with memory function indicated that PS reversed the loss of signal
which marks memory decline.3
The most direct effect of PS on nerve cells is an
improvement in the integrity of the cellular membrane and therefore of the
cells' ability to maintain homeostasis. Nerve cells are particularly dependent
upon the actions of the enzymes known as the ATPase's. Fully 70% of the energy
used by the brain and nerve cells may be required simply to maintain the
sodium/potassium and the calcium/magnesium balances within these cells. The
enzymatic "pumps" literally operate all the time. With age, the activity of
these pumps declines, as does nerve function. PS reverses this decline to a
certain extent, thus returning membrane functions to a point which more
closely resembles that of youth.
Cell membranes present a variety of receptors which control
cellular activity in response to outside cues. PS has been shown to be
important for the activities of protein kinase C and adenylate cyclase in the
rat hypothalamus. These enzyme complexes are responsible for reactions to
hormones such as thyroid T3 and adrenaline.4 Similarly,
cells often send their messages to other cells through the release , of
substances originally found in small vesicles. PS may play a role in preparing
the membranes of the cell and the vesicles to fuse with each other in order to
allow the signaling contents to enter the cell.5
PS has been shown to be instrumental in the body's ability
to regulate cell growth and catabolism. As cells age, the primary location of
PS shirts from the inside of the cell membrane to the outside, and alteration
of position apparently is one signal to immune cells that the aging cell
should be destroyed. The addition of PS to the diet in aged animals was
successful in partially normalizing this response.6 PS also
controls some growth factor receptors. NGF (nerve growth factor) receptor
activity declines with age, and PS in in vitro experiments was able to modify
this decline.7 No other phospholipid has shown such a dramatic
effect on NGF receptor density decline.
PS is readily bioavailable when taken by mouth. If taken on
an empty stomach, radioactively-labeled PS appears in the blood in about 30
minutes. PS may be used to create a reserve of certain other phospholipids.
Enzymatic conversion can lead to the production of phosphatidylethanolamine,
which, in turn, can be converted to phosphatidylcholine. Thus supplementation
with PS may serve to stabilize the amounts of these phospholipids available to
the brain and nerve tissues.
HUMAN TRIALS WITH PS
A number of clinical trials have been conducted in the
United States and abroad using PS to improve mental functioning. Two such
fully double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled tests have been performed
in this country and coordinated by T.H. Crook of the Memory Assessment Clinics
of Bethesda, Maryland with subjects suffering from age-related mental decline.
One study was completed in 1991 at Stanford University and the second was
completed in 1992 at Vanderbilt University. In both studies, PS over a 12-week
period led to significant improvement in areas such as the following:
• Memory for names of familiar persons
• Recall of locations of frequently misplaced objects
• Recall of details of events of the previous day
