Alpha-GPC

Category: nootropic

Aliases: l-alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine

Pharmacological Mechanism

Choline precursor; crosses BBB and supports acetylcholine synthesis.

Half-Life (t½)

PO: 4h

Dosing Guidelines

• PO: Typical 400 (Range: 300–600)

Target Organ Systems

• nervous

Interactions

• CDP-choline (synergistic): Both deliver choline to CNS; alpha-GPC is more choline-dense per gram, CDP-choline also yields cytidine.
• Acetylcholine (synergistic): Upstream substrate pool.
• Huperzine A (synergistic): Choline donor + AChE inhibitor — classic cholinergic-stack pairing.
• Piracetam (synergistic): Co-supplementation prevents the racetam-induced headache common in choline-deficient users.

Pathways It Modulates

• Acetylcholine synthesis + degradation (substrate) — choline donor (upstream)
• Choline / TMAO metabolism (substrate) — upstream choline source
• Glycerophospholipid metabolism (substrate) — Kennedy pathway (choline supplementation)

Chemical Identifiers

• PubChem CID: 657272
• Formula: C8H20NO6P
• Molecular weight: 257.22 g/mol
• InChIKey: SUHOQUVVVLNYQR-MRVPVSSYSA-N
• SMILES: C[N+](C)(C)CCOP(=O)([O-])OC[C@@H](CO)O

References

• PMID 11589921
• PMID 8243501