Want to improve your memory and learning capacity?
Uridine is one of the best nootropics for increasing synaptic plasticity by making it easier for your neurons to form new connections.
It is chiefly involved in Long Term Potentiation which is the process by which memories are created and stored in the brain.
When low levels of Uridine are present in the brain, it can impair memory formation and lead to a decline in synaptic plasticity.
There are a number of dietary sources of this substance like beer, broccoli, sugar cane extract, tomatoes, and yeast. However, you can make significant positive changes to your memory performance as well as your mood and ability to focus by using Uridine supplements.



- Increases dopamine & choline in the brain
- Supports cognition, memory & mood
- Protects the brain & promotes synapse growth
What Is Uridine?
Related Topics
Uridine is a naturally occurring substance that is manufactured in the liver.
It is considered to be a nucleoside which means that it contains a nucleic acid with a pyrimidine base. This supplement is one of the four basic components of RNA (Ribonucleic Acid).
Uridine is also very receptive to additional phosphate groups and it is a substrate for the synthesis of phospholipids in the brain. This helps to form one of three other nucleotides which are used in regulating metabolism.
Studies have shown that it works in synergy with Choline to promote cognitive function and brain health. There are also studies that show it might work with Omega 3 fatty acids to promote anti-depressant effects.
How Uridine Works:
The major way that Uridine works is by increasing the synthesis of brain Phosphatidylcholine (PC).
This chemical helps cells operate and regulate enzymes within the brain. It also works by increasing the production of neurites which leads to higher levels of synaptic plasticity as well as greater encoding and storage of memories.
Neurites are projections from the body of a neuron which then form synapses with different neurons in other areas of the brain.
There are billions upon billions of neurons in your brain and they are all connected to each other by way of an intricate network. Some of these neurons may form synapses with up to 10,000 other neurons and these connections are constantly changing.
Recent research has discovered that new memories are stored via Long Term Potentiation when a new connection is formed for synaptic transmission between two neurons.
When you have more Uridine available in your brain, this leads to a greater rate of synaptogenesis and therefore better memory retention and better cognitive abilities.
Uridine also helps to increase the level of Dopamine in the brain. This is a key neurotransmitter that effects mood and motivation and is involved in the pleasure center of the brain. Dopamine is integral to executive functioning which underwrites our ability to focus and pay attention to stimuli.
In addition to improving Dopamine levels, this supplement used to make phosphatidylcholine in the brain.
This also serves to increase the synthesis of Acetylcholine which is a key chemical involved in the brain’s synaptic plasticity and working memory. Acetylcholine is connected to reasoning, perception, performing calculations, processing information and memory storage.
Uridine Benefits
The benefits that you can achieve when supplementing with Uridine are quite extensive and meaningful. This includes helping to improve working memory and fluid intelligence. Most of this is due to the fact of the supplement converting into Choline and then Acetylcholine (of which choline is a direct precursor) within the brain.
Additional benefits which are likely related to these mechanisms of action include slowing down the process of brain aging, and fighting off depression. There is also some evidence to suggest that Uridine might be effective at preventing forms of dementia including Alzheimer’s disease.
This supplement can also help to improve your mood and overall motivation levels.
This includes working to reduce stress, anxiety, and even OCD symptoms. It also may even improve the health of brain cells since it works on lipid membranes (which are actually forms of cell membranes).
This effect is much stronger when Uridine is combined with Choline directly. Uridine also has a number of long-term benefits such as greater potential crystallized intelligence and optimization of your memory performance.
Uridine Safety & Side Effects:
As far as side effects are concerned, Uridine is a very safe supplement that the majority of people tolerate extremely well.
This compound is after all a major presence in many foods we commonly eat and it is even produced to some degree by our body.
As long as the dosage recommendations are followed, the only side effects that might be present include headaches, fatigue, nervousness, and some gastrointestinal distress.
There is also some evidence to suggest that this supplement may lower levels of vitamin B12. The solution to this is to take a B12 and B9 supplement along with your Uridine.
Ideally, you should be using a daily multi-vitamin with many of the other B-complex vitamins as all of these nutrients have positive impacts on brain health and function.
Using Uridine:
Uridine can be used as a standalone supplement, though it typically is taken with other nootropics in a stack. The recommended dosage range is between 500 mg and 2 grams per day.
Most people interested in taking this supplement for the Nootropic benefits use 1 gram per day.
An excellent way to use this supplement is by taking it in combination with a quality source of Choline. Some great choices would be CDP Choline, Alpha GPC, and possibly even Centrophenoxine to stack with Uridine powder.
- Wurtman RJ. A nutrient combination that can affect synapse formation. Nutrients. 2014
- Agarwal N, Sung YH, Jensen JE, daCunha G, Harper D, Olson D, Renshaw PF. Short-term administration of uridine increases brain membrane phospholipid precursors in healthy adults: a 31-phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy study at 4T. Bipolar Disord. 2010
- Wurtman RJ, Cansev M, Sakamoto T, Ulus IH. Administration of docosahexaenoic acid, uridine and choline increases levels of synaptic membranes and dendritic spines in rodent brain. World Rev Nutr Diet. 2009
- Cansev M, Watkins CJ, van der Beek EM, Wurtman RJ. Oral uridine-5'-monophosphate (UMP) increases brain CDP-choline levels in gerbils. Brain Res. 2005
- Wurtman RJ, Regan M, Ulus I, Yu L. Effect of oral CDP-choline on plasma choline and uridine levels in humans. Biochem Pharmacol. 2000
- Ulus IH, Watkins CJ, Cansev M, Wurtman RJ. Cytidine and uridine increase striatal CDP-choline levels without decreasing acetylcholine synthesis or release. Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2006
- Richardson UI, Watkins CJ, Pierre C, Ulus IH, Wurtman RJ. Stimulation of CDP-choline synthesis by uridine or cytidine in PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells. Brain Res. 2003
- Wurtman RJ, Ulus IH, Cansev M, Watkins CJ, Wang L, Marzloff G. Synaptic proteins and phospholipids are increased in gerbil brain by administering uridine plus docosahexaenoic acid orally. Brain Res. 2006
- Holguin S, Martinez J, Chow C, Wurtman R. Dietary uridine enhances the improvement in learning and memory produced by administering DHA to gerbils. FASEB J. 2008
- Carlezon WA Jr, Mague SD, Parow AM, Stoll AL, Cohen BM, Renshaw PF. Antidepressant-like effects of uridine and omega-3 fatty acids are potentiated by combined treatment in rats. Biol Psychiatry. 2005
- Martiniova L, Field MS, Finkelstein JL, Perry CA, Stover PJ. Maternal dietary uridine causes, and deoxyuridine prevents, neural tube closure defects in a mouse model of folate-responsive neural tube defects. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015
- Cansev M, Minbay Z, Goren B, Yaylagul EO, Cetinkaya M, Koksal N, Alkan T. Neuroprotective effects of uridine in a rat model of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Neurosci Lett. 2013
- Saydoff JA, Olariu A, Sheng J, Hu Z, Li Q, Garcia R, Pei J, Sun GY, von Borstel R. Uridine prodrug improves memory in Tg2576 and TAPP mice and reduces pathological factors associated with Alzheimer's disease in related models. J Alzheimers Dis. 2013
- Yamamoto T, Koyama H, Kurajoh M, Shoji T, Tsutsumi Z, Moriwaki Y. Biochemistry of uridine in plasma. Clin Chim Acta. 2011
- Dobolyi A, Juhász G, Kovács Z, Kardos J. Uridine function in the central nervous system. Curr Top Med Chem. 2011
- Wurtman RJ, Cansev M, Sakamoto T, Ulus I. Nutritional modifiers of aging brain function: use of uridine and other phosphatide precursors to increase formation of brain synapses. Nutr Rev. 2010
- Cansev M, Marzloff G, Sakamoto T, Ulus IH, Wurtman RJ. Giving uridine and/or docosahexaenoic acid orally to rat dams during gestation and nursing increases synaptic elements in brains of weanling pups. Dev Neurosci. 2009
- Wang L, Pooler AM, Albrecht MA, Wurtman RJ. Dietary uridine-5'-monophosphate supplementation increases potassium-evoked dopamine release and promotes neurite outgrowth in aged rats. J Mol Neurosci. 2005
- Walker UA, Langmann P, Miehle N, Zilly M, Klinker H, Petschner F. Beneficial effects of oral uridine in mitochondrial toxicity. AIDS. 2004
Article last updated on: March 13th, 2018 by Nootriment
1 Comment
Bonjour, je pense faire un stack de choline+uridine+noomind! Votre avis m’intéresse. Merci.