Phosphatidylserine: The Membrane Ingredient

Phosphatidylserine has a genuine structural role in the brain and a research literature complicated by a change in how it is manufactured.

What it does

Phosphatidylserine is a phospholipid concentrated in the inner leaflet of cell membranes and particularly abundant in neuronal tissue. It participates in membrane fluidity, in signal transduction through interactions with membrane-bound enzymes, and in cellular signalling more broadly. The rationale for supplementation is that membrane composition affects neuronal signalling and is at least partly influenced by dietary intake.

The research and its complication

Studies in older adults with memory complaints have reported improvements on memory measures, and separate research has examined effects on cortisol response to stress. The FDA permits a qualified health claim relating phosphatidylserine to reduced risk of cognitive dysfunction in the elderly, with the significant caveat that the agency concluded the supporting evidence is limited and inconclusive — a nuance marketing frequently drops when citing the claim. The complication rarely mentioned is that much of the older and stronger research used phosphatidylserine derived from bovine cortex. Following concerns about transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, commercial production shifted to soy and sunflower lecithin, and fatty acid composition differs.

Practical points

Source matters if you avoid soy, and many products do not specify whether their phosphatidylserine is soy or sunflower derived. It may affect bleeding risk in combination with other agents, relevant alongside ginkgo and before surgery. Generally well tolerated otherwise, with digestive upset the most commonly reported effect at higher doses.

Where a supplement fits here

If you have worked through the medical and behavioural options above and want to add a supplement, Cognicept is a liquid formula available from the Cognicept official website. We would rather you addressed sleep, activity, hearing and any underlying medical cause first — those have far stronger evidence than anything in a bottle, including ours. See our honest assessment for the full picture.