Phosphatidylserine – A new way to tackle age-related decline in memory and cognitive function

Can’t remember where you last put your car keys? Can’t recall the name of someone you were introduced to the other day? Forgotten an important date in your diary? For many of us we’d simply laugh off such incidents and blame them on our advancing age. After all, one of the most common features of aging, and possibly one of the most joked about, is the fact that as we get older we seem to get more forgetful. Our memory simply isn’t what it used to be.

And because it’s such a common feature of aging, most of us just accept a decline in our memory and mental function as something that inevitably goes hand in hand with getting older. As a result, we tend to think that there is nothing that can be done about it. But this needn’t be the case.

Not surprisingly, for years scientists have been asking themselves why is it that our ability to remember things declines with age? At last they may have found the answer in a little known molecule called Phosphatidylserine (pronounced fos-fa-tidal-sear-een).

What is Phosphatidylserine?

Phosphatidylserine (often referred to simply as PS) belongs to an important class of phosphorus containing lipids known as phospholipids. Phospholipids are biomolecules that contain both amino acids and fatty acids (including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids). They are essential for life. They act as the fundamental building blocks of cellular membranes that surround all the cells in our bodies. Cellular membranes are selectively permeable - in effect they act as cellular gatekeepers, controlling what passes in and out of our cells.

Indeed, as a phospholipid, Phosphatidylserine is universally present in all living things from the most simple to the most complex. It is comprised of the amino acid L-serine and a lipid molecule. And whilst it is known to have many different roles throughout all of our tissues and organs, Phosphatidylserine is most commonly associated with our brains. This is because Phosphatidylserine’s most important role is to act as the key building block for the billions of cells that go to make up our brains. It plays a critical part in the formation of brain cell membranes and ensures that they are fluid enough to release the neurotransmitters acetylcholine and dopamine.

Why do I need to take Phosphatidylserine as a supplement?

At this point you would be forgiven for thinking that if all the cells in our bodies contain Phosphatidylserine and if our brains normally produce enough of the phospholipid to keep the cells in our brains working at peak capacity, why would you need to take Phosphatidylserine as a dietary supplement?

The answer is quite simple. Our bodies simply do not produce enough Phosphatidylserine to meet our needs all the way through our lives. Deficiencies occur especially:

·
• As we get older - unfortunately as we age our bodies serve up a bit of a double whammy as far as Phosphatidylserine is concerned. Although our brain’s need for Phosphatidylserine increases with age, our Phosphatidylserine levels actually start to fall. The decline in Phosphatidylserine levels begins as we reach middle age - an effect that is worsened by deficiencies of other essential fatty acids, vitamin B12 and folic acid. It also becomes impossible for us to get enough Phosphatidylserine from our diets due to ever increasing digestive and metabolic inefficiencies
• If we are under stress - stress affects our body in so many ways that it’s hardly surprising to find that it has a negative impact on our Phosphatidylserine levels. Stress simultaneously manages to increase our need for Phosphatidylserine, whilst at the same time reducing the amount of Phosphatidylserine available
• If we lack certain enzymes and metabolic cofactors

And modern diets and today’s food production methods only serve to add to the problem. It just isn’t possible for most of us to boost our declining Phosphatidylserine levels with food. The richest dietary source of Phosphatidylserine is from meat, and in particular brains and innards such as liver and kidneys. Apart from the fact that many of us simply do not eat animal brains etc., there are serious health risks associated with the consumption of cows brains (see below). Only small amounts of Phosphatidylserine are found in dairy products or in vegetables (with the exception of white beans).

And with the majority of us these days focusing on healthy low-fat, low-cholesterol diets, we simply don’t always get everything that we need from our food. A modern low-fat, low-cholesterol type of diet may be undersupplying you by as much as 150mg per day of dietary Phosphatidylserine, and a vegetarian/vegan diet by as much as 200-250mg a day. Add to this the fact that modern food processing methods often strip away many natural phospholipids, and you can see how diet alone may not be enough to help Phosphatidylserine levels stay at their optimum point. If you want to boost your Phosphatidylserine, you are going to need to take a dietary supplement. It should also be remembered that, because Phosphatidylserine has not been classed as an essential nutrient, no actual recommended daily allowance exists.

So just what does Phosphatidylserine do?

Modern science is only just beginning to unravel the mysteries of Phosphatidylserine. Therefore we are only just starting to understand what it is, how it works and how important it is to us. As our knowledge increases we will start to understand the full implications of this remarkable phospholipid - after all it does appear in every cell in our body. At present we don’t have a complete picture of its mechanisms of action but we do know that Phosphatidylserine is heavily implicated in many aspects of mental function. In particular, Phosphatidylserine acts to enhance neurotransmission and increase the brain’s absorption of nutrients.

And it’s the ability of Phosphatidylserine to improve neurotransmission that appears to play a pivotal role in enhancing memory and cognition, and elevating mood. Neurotransmission refers to the way in which neurons (the name given to cells of the nervous system) communicate with one another. The nervous system comprises of the brain, the spinal cord and the huge networks of nerves that spread throughout the entire body. For the moment, we will concentrate on the brain where humans have around 100 billion neurons.

Nerve impulses travel as electrical impulses. They always move along the neuron in one direction - from the neuron’s dendrites through the cell body and along to the axon. Although neurons in the brain are located extremely close to one another, the dendrites and axons of the neurons do not actually touch each other. Instead they are separated by tiny gaps known as synapses. As a nerve impulse heads along a neuron, down the axon and towards the synapse, it triggers the release of specialised chemicals known as neurotransmitters. It is the job of the neurotransmitters to effectively transport the nerve impulse across the synapse and onto the next neuron. They achieve this by diffusing across the synapse and binding to special molecules known as receptors that are located within the cell membranes of the dendrites of the adjacent nerve cell. Only certain neurotransmitters bind with certain receptors - a bit like a lock and key system. As a result of the binding process an electrical response is either stimulated or inhibited in the dendrites of the receiving neuron. If an electrical pulse is stimulated, the nerve impulse will carry on its journey.

It is thought that Phosphatidylserine enhances neurotransmission because it enables neurons to metabolize glucose and to release and bind with neurotransmitters. It also acts to increase the amount of communication that actually takes place between neurons because it increases the number of membrane receptor sites and prevents the decline in the number of brain dendrites that occurs with age.

In addition, by modulating the fluidity of cell membranes, Phosphatidylserine also has a direct effect on the ability of neurons to release and receive neurotransmitters. Combine all of this with Phosphatidylserine’s ability to help eradicate waste products from cells , it becomes very clear Phosphatidylserine has a crucial role to play in relation to improving and maintaining cognitive function.

It is also worth noting that there are many different types of neurotransmitters and they each have a very precise role to play in the functioning of the brain. Research has shown that Phosphatidylserine has a very specific effect upon the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is known to be implicated in learning and memory function and studies have shown that damage to the cholinergic (acetylcholine-producing) system in the brain is associated with the memory deficits associated with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Phosphatidylserine appears to be able to increase and restore the brain's supply and output of acetylcholine which is a probable reason why Phosphatidylserine supplementation is so useful in improving memory (see below).

And it’s not just the neurotransmitter acetylcholine that Phosphatidylserine has an effect upon. It also stimulates the brain to produce the neurotransmitter dopamine and this can have a significant impact upon your mood. Dopamine is one of the three main neurotransmitters associated with depression - many people suffering depression have low levels of dopamine. Dopamine provides us with feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement to keep us motivated. Without enough dopamine, we feel fatigued and depressed, and experience a lack of drive and motivation. Dopamine is also critical to the way in which our brain controls movement (think of someone suffering from Parkinson’s Disease and the way in which their movement is affected - Parkinson’s Disease symptoms manifest themselves when dopamine levels fall extremely low). Dopamine also controls the flow of information from other areas of the brain, especially memory, attention and problem-solving tasks.

What happens when Phosphatidylserine levels fall too low?

Bearing in mind how closely associated Phosphatidylserine is to effective neurotransmission and a range of crucial cognitive functions including memory, learning and attention, it is hardly surprising to find that declining levels of Phosphatidylserine lead to impairments in the brain’s ability to form, store, process and remember information. And because our levels of Phosphatidylserine naturally decline from around the age of 50 onwards, lowered Phosphatidylserine levels are implicated in age related mental decline - in other words that forgetfulness and feeling that we’re not as mentally sharp as we once were that seems to affect all of us as we grow old.

In addition, Phosphatidylserine deficiencies have been linked to a number of illnesses that feature mental impairment such as dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, depression and Parkinson’s Disease in middle aged and elderly people.

The benefits of Phosphatidylserine supplementation

Bearing in mind, as we discussed above, the fact that it really isn’t possible for us to boost our Phosphatidylserine levels by diet alone, the only alternative solution with which to address the problem of declining Phosphatidylserine levels is to use supplementation.

The benefits of Phosphatidylserine are clear and well established, particularly as the use of Phosphatidylserine has been the subject of numerous clinical trials and research projects. Because of its clear associations with memory, learning, the processing of information and attention, and the fact that declines in levels of Phosphatidylserine has a direct effect on cognitive function, boosting your Phosphatidylserine levels not only acts to improve your memory but also leads to overall improvements in brain health and function.

And you don’t have to be old to gain an advantage from Phosphatidylserine supplementation. Anyone who is otherwise in good health can benefit. Those who use Phosphatidylserine regularly report the following:

• Improvements in memory
• Improvements in the ability to learn
• Increases in mental acuity
• Being able to think more clearly and more quickly with increased vigilance, concentration and attention
• Protection from age related mental decline
• Lower occurrences of depressive thoughts and depressed feelings
• Increases in general feelings of being in better spirits, elevation of mood

The elderly in particular may find that they can make valuable gains by using Phosphatidylserine supplementation. Since Phosphatidylserine deficiencies are associated with a number of common age related problems such as memory loss, Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia and Parkinson’s Disease, a number of experts now believe that Phosphatidylserine supplementation may help to improve and perhaps even reverse symptoms of these conditions.

Indeed, to this end, in May 2003 the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) gave Phosphatidylserine qualified health claim status, stating that "consumption of Phosphatidylserine may reduce the risk of dementia in the elderly" and "consumption of Phosphatidylserine may reduce the risk of cognitive dysfunction in the elderly". As research continues and our understanding of Phosphatidylserine grows, it’s to be hoped that Phosphatidylserine lives up to its promise as a real hope for those who have found their lives blighted by these cruel diseases of aging.

But the benefits of Phosphatidylserine supplementation extend beyond improving memory and overall cognitive function. Phosphatidylserine supplementation may also be useful for:

• Treating clinical depression - because of its ability to lift dopamine levels, (as mentioned previously dopamine is one of the three main neurotransmitters implicated in depression), patients diagnosed with clinical depression have been shown to experience marked improvements in their symptoms if they take Phosphatidylserine daily
• Treating attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - initial pilot studies have indicated that Phosphatidylserine supplementation may be beneficial for children with ADD and ADHD. This is probably due to the fact that reduced dopamine levels are thought to contribute to these conditions
• Assisting athletes recovery and to help prevent muscle soreness - athletes involved in cycling, weight training and endurance running have participated in studies that have demonstrated that Phosphatidylserine supplementation can help to speed up recovery, prevent muscle soreness and improve an athlete’s overall sense of well-being. It promotes a desirable hormonal balance and might also help to overcome some of the physiological problems caused by over training and/or over stretching
• Inhibiting stress and exercise induced increase in cortisol - cortisol is a corticosteroid hormone that is released in response to stress. Exercise can also increase levels. It’s often referred to as the stress hormone and whilst it performs a number of very important functions (e.g. it gives us that burst of energy that we need for our flight or fight response), it is vital that levels are kept in check. Unfortunately in today’s high stress world, cortisol levels often remain too high and this can lead to chronic stress. Chronic stress can cause significant damage to our bodies such as high blood pressure, increased abdominal fat that can lead to heart attack and stroke, impaired cognitive performance and lowered immunity

How long do the effects of Phosphatidylserine supplementation last?

Fortunately the effects of taking Phosphatidylserine can be long lasting. Studies have indicated that beneficial effects may be experienced for up to 30 days after use. Therefore, by using Phosphatidylserine regularly, you can benefit from extended improvements not only to your memory but also your overall cognitive function.

Health concerns over sourcing Phosphatidylserine

It’s impossible to talk about Phosphatidylserine, without the subject of safety concerns about its source being raised.

Scientists have known about Phosphatidylserine since it was first isolated way back in 1942. However, in the early days, Phosphatidylserine was distilled from bovine brains. Not surprisingly, in the light of the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE – or as it is commonly known ‘mad-cow’ disease) such a source ultimately gave rise to serious health concerns. This is because it is a widely held view in the scientific community that BSE can be transmitted to humans if humans either directly or indirectly eat the brain or spinal cord of infected cows or products made from them. In humans the disease is known as new variant Creuzfeldt-Jakob Disease and by October 2009 it was already known to have killed 166 people in Britain and 44 people in other countries with numbers expected to rise because of the disease’s extremely long incubation period.

Alternative sources were sought and nowadays commercially available products contain Phosphatidylserine that has been derived from soy lecithin (found in soybeans). Studies indicate that this soy based product is just as effective as that produced from a bovine origin and, of course, it avoids any of the health issues.

Dosage

The usual dose is one capsule 1 to 3 times daily. Best results are achieved with regular use over a period of time.

Side effects

Phosphatidylserine is well tolerated and side effects are rare. However, if they do occur they can include nausea, indigestion and insomnia.

Warnings

Do not take Phosphatidylserine if:

• You are using amphetamines regardless of whether their use is for recreational purposes, to treat depression or to treat ADD/ADHD
• You are using adrenergic agonists like dopamine
• You are a child, are pregnant or are nursing,
• You have kidney problems