Cognizin May Enhance Satiety

BELMONT, Mass.Supplementation with citicoline (as Cognizin®, from Kyowa Hakko) may directly affect dopamine neurons in the brain, reducing cravings and increasing feelings of satiety, according to research from McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders (2010;43(1):6-13; DOI:10.1002/eat.20658). The study included 16 healthy adults and compared the effects of six weeks of open label treatment with citicoline at two dosages500 mg/d and 2,000 mg/don changes in appetite ratings, weight and brain response to images of high-calorie foods, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

While the six-week intervention did not significantly affect weight, there were significant declines in appetite ratings in the 2,000 mg/d group. The higher-dose group also showed significant increases in functional brain responses to food stimuli, which correlated with declines in appetite ratings.

Deborah Yurgelun-Todd Ph.D., a researcher on the study, commented, The most interesting findings are that with the use of brain imaging studies, we are able to visualize the differences between baseline and after six weeks of citicoline supplementation. Scans from the high-dose group illustrate the shift in how their brains interpreted the food images. Citicoline may have affected their appetite by stimulating regions of the brain used to normalize or regulate their response to the food images. These three regions may help the participant see food as less rewarding, and therefore have a lesser desire to eat it.

The research team concluded citicoline may be useful in modulating appetite, although more research is warranted.