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Unlocking choline’s potential in Alzheimer’s disease: A narrative review exploring the neuroprotective and neurotrophic role of phosphatidylcholine and assessing its impact on memory and learning

Authors
Tara Conway, Karin Seidler, Michelle Barrow
Choline Alzheimer's phosphatidylcholine
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Excerpt

Methodology

A systematic search was conducted to identify choline’s mechanisms of action in ameliorating AD-related pathophysiology, based on a three-tranche search strategy (reviews, primary mechanistic and intervention studies). From 1600 papers identified using PubMed database, 1254 titles and abstracts were screened, 149 papers were read in full, and 65 were eligible papers for evaluation and critical appraisal. Predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied and adjusted to refine the search. The

Results

The systematic search process resulted in the acceptance of 15 review papers (representing 23 % of the total), 28 mechanistic papers (43 %), and 22 intervention papers (34 %) (Supplementary Tables S1, S2 and S3). The review papers highlighted the importance of PC in neuronal cell membrane integrity and cellular signalling in neuroplasticity, making PC a focal point for this review.
Mechanistic papers helped create a mechanism diagram illustrating the intricate relationship between PC and

Discussion

The aim of this narrative review based on a systematic literature search was to evaluate appropriate mechanistic and intervention evidence to establish the extent to which PC may ameliorate disordered physiological processes which cause or result from AD.
The analysis of both animal and human research was illustrated in a mechanism diagram (Fig. 1), detailing the mechanistic findings linking PC with neuroplasticity and highlighting the beneficial effects of PC in neuron membrane composition and

Conclusion

This narrative review characterised the neuroprotective effects of PC, which involve protecting neurons from damage and degeneration and also its neurotrophic effects, which include promoting the growth, development, and survival of neurons. By focusing on its impact on memory and learning; key cognitive functions impaired in AD, the research reveals the potential therapeutic benefits of PC in AD.
Several lines of pre-clinical evidence were identified linking the mechanisms of action of PC with

Funding statement

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author contribution

Tara Conway: Conceptualisation, Visualisation, Writing-original draft; Karin Seidler: Supervision, Writing-review and editing; Michelle Barrow: Review and editing.

Declaration of competing interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by CNELM, UK, and we are especially thankful for the expertise of James Neil in developing the methodology.