Mood boost in a pill? citicoline supplement put to the test
NCT ID NCT07089238
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study is testing whether a dietary supplement called citicoline can improve mood in healthy adults who are experiencing moderate mood disturbances. Researchers will give 90 participants either citicoline or a placebo daily and measure changes in mood, sleep quality, stress, and certain blood markers. The goal is to see if this supplement offers a simple way to support emotional well-being.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- citicoline (dietary supplement)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple supplement to help improve mood and reduce stress in healthy people.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial in healthy volunteers, not a patient population. The effects may be small or no different from placebo.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 90 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2025
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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21 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Provide voluntary signed and dated informed consent. * Be in good health and able to participate as determined by medical history and routine blood chemistries. * Biological men and women between 21 and 65 years of age (inclusive). * Body Mass Index of 18.5-32.0 (inclusive). * Body weight of at least 110 pounds. * Participant is experiencing moderate levels of mood disturbance during screening. * Normotensive (seated, resting systolic blood pressure \<140 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure \< 90 mm Hg. * Normal supine, resting heart rate (\<90 per minute). * Agrees to maintain their existing dietary and physical activity patterns throughout the study period. * Participants agree to maintain their usual caffeine consumption habits, given that they do not exceed the maximum intake per day (400mg/day or 3-4 cups of coffee per day). * If a dietary supplement was initiated within the past month, the participant is willing to discontinue supplement use followed by a 2-week washout prior to participation in the study. * Willing to duplicate their previous 24-hour diet, refrain from caffeine for 24 hours, refrain from alcohol and exercise for 24 hours prior to each trial, and fast for 10 hours prior to each visit. Exclusion Criteria: * QIDS (Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomology) score \> 16. * Women who are pregnant, lactating, or planning to become pregnant during the study. Women must have a negative pregnancy test at screening. * Women with a PSST (Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool) score ≥30 * Current smokers or cessation within 3 months prior to screening. * Alcohol consumption (\>2 standard alcoholic drinks/day or \>10 drinks/week) or drug abuse/dependence. * Current use of any nootropic dietary supplements (e.g., GABA, Ashwaghanda, St. John's Wort, Ginkgo biloba, L-theanine, choline, Lion's mane, creatine, etc.) or medications (e.g., piracetam, Adderall, modafinil, etc.) that may confound the study or its endpoints. * Medical history of hepatorenal, musculoskeletal, autoimmune, or neurologic disease. * Individuals who have been diagnosed with digestive, liver, renal, cardiovascular, or other metabolic diseases. * Other known gastrointestinal or metabolic diseases that might impact nutrient absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion (e.g., intestinal malabsorption, electrolyte abnormalities, diabetes, thyroid disease, adrenal disease, hypogonadism, short bowel syndrome, diarrheal illnesses, history of colon resection, gastric ulcer, reflux disease, gastroparesis, Inborn-Errors-of-Metabolism, etc.). * Chronic medically diagnosed inflammatory condition or disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, Lupus, HIV/AIDS, etc.). * Medical history of a cognitive (i.e., ADD/ADHD) or psychiatric disorder, or brain-related medical conditions (e.g., TBI, ADHD). * Currently using medications to treat anxiety or depression. * Have an irregular sleep pattern (i.e. shift workers) or inadequate sleep schedule (i.e., less than 6 hours per night). * Known sensitivity, allergy, or intolerability to any ingredient in the test products. * Participants who report a clinically significant illness within the last 30 days. * Individuals who are cognitively impaired and/or who are unable to give informed consent. * Any other diseases or conditions that, in the opinion of the Principal Investigator, could confound the primary endpoint or place the subject at increased risk of harm if they were to participate.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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The Center for Applied Health Sciences
RECRUITINGCanfield, Ohio, 44406, United States
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