By Diana Allen, MS, CNS

In the highly medicalized United States, close to ten percent of all children have received a formal diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As a result, many American children are being treated with psychoactive medications from as young as six years of age.

Non-drug support for ADHD often begins with a low sugar diet free from artificial colorings and highly processed foods. A functional medicine approach also incorporates well-researched, targeted nutritional supplements to promote healthy brain and nervous system function.

The amino acid derivative phosphatidylserine (PS) has been studied for its brain and cognitive health benefits, including ADHD and memory support. Phosphatidylserine contains phospholipids—present in all cell membranes—and exhibits a specific affinity for nerve cell membranes and brain myelin.

To help boost its accumulation in neuronal membranes, phosphatidylserine is often taken in tandem with the omega-3 essential fatty acid DHA. Research suggests PS also may be highly effective on its own.

A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics examined the effect of phosphatidylserine supplements on short-term auditory memory, inattention and impulsivity in Japanese children and young teens with a psychiatric diagnosis of ADHD.¹

Forty children between the ages of four and fourteen, none of whom had previously taken medication to address their ADHD, participated in the study. During the two-month intervention, subjects were randomized into two equal sized groups. One group received 200 mg of phosphatidylserine per day, the other took an identical-looking placebo. In all cases, the PS or placebo supplements were administered by the parents and well tolerated by the subjects, with no adverse events reported in either group.

Over the course of the intervention, diagnostic criteria such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity were assessed via subjective interviews with the parents. Short-term auditory and working memory were evaluated using number repetition tests and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.

Significant improvements occurred in the children taking phosphatidylserine, notably with respect to short-term auditory memory, and symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity. Behavior both at school and at home also improved in the PS group. No members of the placebo group experienced a reduction in ADHD symptom criteria nor any meaningful behavioral changes.

The study found that supplementation with 200 mg of PS daily for two months helped to significantly improve short-term auditory memory and ADHD symptoms in children. Study authors concluded, “The main finding of the present study is that supplementation of 200 mg of PS administered for two months significantly improved ADHD symptoms and short-term memory in children… PS supplementation appears to be a safe and natural nutritional strategy for improving mental performance in young children suffering from ADHD.”

Food Sources of Phosphatidylserine

While the body makes phosphatidylserine endogenously, you can increase your levels through supplementation or eating certain foods such as egg yolks, white beans, organ meats, soy, oily fish (eg, mackerel), and tuna.

In supplement form, phosphatidylserine is available as both a powder and capsule. A review published in Nutrients suggests that 300 to 800 mg/day of phosphatidylserine is absorbed efficiently in humans, crosses the blood-brain barrier, and safely slows or reverses biochemical and structural deterioration in nerve cells.

Benefits in Older Adults

Phosphatidylserine supplements also have been shown to improve memory in aging adults. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of men and women aged fifty to sixty-nine with symptoms of mild cognitive impairment examined the effect of phosphatidylserine on memory over six months. In this study, the effective dose was 100 mg three times per day for a total of 300 mg daily.²

At the end of the intervention, subjects in the PS group showed significant improvements in memory scores, notably “delayed verbal recall” (searching for a word), while no improvements were observed in the placebo group. 

As with the study in children and young teens, no adverse events were reported in these adults. This study concluded that 300 mg per day of phosphatidylserine for six months improved memory and had a positive effect on cognitive performance in older patients with memory complaints. 

Authors noted, “Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a member of the membrane phospholipids that is especially abundant in the brain. Because of its presence in the brain, effects of PS on the central nervous system have been wisely investigated…The oral administration of Soy-PS for six months improved memory function, especially delayed recall, in the elderly with memory complaints. This effect was equally observed at both low dose (100 mg/day) and high dose (300 mg/day).”

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Diana Allen, MS, CNS, has worked in the professional supplements industry since 1997. She is a clinical nutritionist in private practice and the Product Development Manager at Moss Nutrition, a research-based supplement line sold exclusively to healthcare practitioners and their patients.

Well Being Journal adapted the above excerpt from Moss Nutrition Digest (February 2023 #36) “Support for Memory & Attention Deficits: Phosphatidylserine” by Diana Allen, MS, CNS.

Want to learn more? 

Review the benefits of saffron for ADHD in “Integrative Psychiatry: Saffron as Effective as Ritalin in ADHD” (Spring 2023 Edition Volume 32 No 2).  

References

1. Hirayama S, Terasawa K et al. “The effect of phosphatidylserine administration on memory and symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.” J Hum Nutr Diet. 2014 Apr;27 Suppl 2:284-91.
2. Kato-Kataoka A, Sakai M et al. “Soybean-derived phosphatidylserine improves memory function of the elderly Japanese subjects with memory complaints.” J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2010 Nov;47(3):246-55.