Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation

Scientific Reports, vol. 14, pp. 4937

Abstract

Abstract The inverse effects of creatine supplementation and sleep deprivation on high energy phosphates, neural creatine, and cognitive performances suggest that creatine is a suitable candidate for reducing the negative effects of sleep deprivation. With this, the main obstacle is the limited exogenous uptake by the central nervous system (CNS), making creatine only effective over a long-term diet of weeks. Thus far, only repeated dosing of creatine over weeks has been studied, yielding detectable changes in CNS levels. Based on the hypothesis that a high extracellular creatine availability and increased intracellular energy consumption will temporarily increase the central creatine uptake, subjects were orally administered a high single dose of creatinemonohydrate (0.35 g/kg) while performing cognitive tests during sleep deprivation. Two consecutive 31P-MRS scans, 1H-MRS, and cognitive tests were performed each at evening baseline, 3, 5.5, and 7.5 h after single dose creatine (0.35 g/kg) or placebo during sub-total 21 h sleep deprivation (SD). Our results show that creatine induces changes in PCr/Pi, ATP, tCr/tNAA, prevents a drop in pH level, and improves cognitive performance and processing speed. These outcomes suggest that a high single dose of creatine can partially reverse metabolic alterations and fatigue-related cognitive deterioration.

Authors 8

1. Ali Gordji-Nejad corresponding

   Forschungszentrum Jülich

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-2), Molecular Organization of the Brain, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany. a.gordjinejad@fz-juelich.de

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-2), Molecular Organization of the Brain, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany

2. Andreas Matusch

   Forschungszentrum Jülich

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-2), Molecular Organization of the Brain, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany

3. Sophie Kleedörfer Aachen Division of Clinical Cognitive Sciences Department of Neurology

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Division of Clinical Cognitive Sciences, Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074, Aachen, Germany

4. Harshal Patel Aachen Division of Clinical Cognitive Sciences Department of Neurology

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Division of Clinical Cognitive Sciences, Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074, Aachen, Germany

5. Alexander E. Drzezga

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · University of Cologne · German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases · University Hospital Cologne

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany

   German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn-Cologne, Germany

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-2), Molecular Organization of the Brain, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany

6. David Elmenhorst

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · University of Cologne · University Hospital Cologne

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-2), Molecular Organization of the Brain, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany

7. Ferdinand Binkofski Aachen Division of Clinical Cognitive Sciences Department of Neurology

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Division of Clinical Cognitive Sciences, Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, 52074, Aachen, Germany

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany

8. Andreas Bauer

   Forschungszentrum Jülich

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-2), Molecular Organization of the Brain, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany