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

Creatine supplementation can partially reverse brain energy and fatigue-related cognitive changes during sleep deprivation. In a double-blind, randomized cross-over study, 15 healthy participants received a single oral dose of creatine monohydrate (0.35 g/kg) or placebo while staying awake for up to 21 hours. Using 31P-MRS and 1H-MRS alongside a battery of cognitive tasks, researchers tracked brain high-energy phosphate ratios, pH, and related metabolites over multiple time points. The study found creatine induced shifts in PCr/Pi, ATP, and tCr/tNAA signals, helped prevent a drop in pH, and improved cognitive performance including processing speed, suggesting a rapid metabolic support mechanism that can mitigate some sleep deprivation effects.