Neuropeptide Cortexin: A Brain-Derived Peptide With Promise and Controversy
What Is Cortexin?
By Dr. David Traster, DC, MS, DACNB
Co-owner, The Neurologic Wellness Institute
Boca Raton • Chicago • Waukesha • Wood Dale
www.neurologicwellnessinstitute.com
Among the growing list of neuropeptides receiving attention for their potential therapeutic effects, Cortexin occupies a unique place. Unlike synthetic peptides designed to activate one specific receptor, Cortexin is a complex mixture of naturally occurring low-molecular-weight peptides extracted from the cerebral cortex of young cattle or pigs. Rather than functioning as a single molecule with one pharmacologic target, it represents a biologically active peptide fraction that appears to influence numerous cellular pathways involved in neuronal metabolism, plasticity, inflammation, oxidative stress, and neuroprotection.
For decades, Cortexin has been prescribed in Russia and several neighboring countries as a treatment for various neurological disorders. Yet despite widespread clinical use in those regions, it remains largely unknown in Western medicine. The story of Cortexin highlights the striking differences between Eastern and Western approaches to drug development, evidence standards, and neurorehabilitation.