Skip to content
yes i take peptides.
Library/For Cognition/Cortagen
RUO · Research Use OnlyFor Cognition+2 more

Cortagen

Another Khavinson short peptide, marketed for cortex/cognitive aging. We read all 15 studies. The protocol is below.

Updated 03 May 2026Read 10 minEvidence ●○○○○Citations 15
+ Add to Stack
⚖ Compare side-by-side⎙ Print companion card

Free — puts Cortagen on your decision board.

The Cortagen Report · $19

Everything you need to start: dose, sourcing, safety, our verdict.

One purchase · yours forever

Built from 15 cited studies.

Status
Research-only
Class
For Cognition
Evidence
1/ 5●○○○○
Independent RCTs
$19 ↓
Khavinson-lab papers
$19 ↓
Animal studies
$19 ↓
Read this if
  • you're deep in the Khavinson bioregulator rabbit hole and doing seasonal cycles
  • **the studied population is post-stroke recovery + aged-cortex animal models** — if you're a stroke-recovery reader and you've already done rehab, the lab-internal evidence at least targets your population
  • you had a concussion and the Russian-pharmacy import path doesn't bother you
  • you've already tried selank and semax and want the next one in that family
Skip this if
  • **you're under 50 and cognitively healthy** — the Khavinson literature is in aged cortex and post-stroke rats, not optimization in healthy mid-life
  • you want randomized Western trial data — it doesn't exist
  • you're looking for a first-line cognitive intervention before basic sleep, exercise, and bloodwork
  • you have an autoimmune or thymic disorder and shouldn't be modulating immune signaling without a doctor
  • **you're on anticoagulants (warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran) or immunosuppressants** — the Khavinson literature describes theoretical antithrombotic activity for Cortagen, and the cortex-bioregulator program touches immune signaling. The interaction is theoretical, not measured — but it's the kind of theoretical you don't want to discover on your own anticoagulant
The 4 ways you can buy Cortagen
Brand
✗
Not available
Not available (Russian cosmeceutical ~$30–$60)
No FDA-approved Cortagen; Russian retail is not a US-legal channel.
Compounded 503A
✓
Off-label
$80–$200/mo where sold
Mid–high. Few compounders carry; the Khavinson-only evidence base means clinical legitimacy is weak.
RUO (research-only)
✓
Sold 'for research only'
$30–$100/mo
The dominant supply; small tetrapeptide is cheap to synthesize.
Gray market
✓
Unregulated overseas import
Varies — not on user's vendor list
Available via overseas raws (cheap to synthesize) but Cortagen has limited demand vs Epitalon, so …
Click any lane for the full Sourcing breakdown.
First 90 days · Cortagen
Weeks 1–2
Subjective signal in the first 1–2 weeks if there's going to be one. Cognitive peptides (Selank, Semax) work fast or not at all for a given person.
Weeks 4–8
Either you've noticed a clear, consistent improvement (focus, anxiety reduction, mood stability) or you're imagining it. Track a baseline cognitive task or anxiety scale if you can.
Week 12 — decide
Decide. Cognitive effects are notoriously subject to placebo. If the signal isn't holding without you actively looking for it, it's probably not real.
Quit if
  • Paradoxical anxiety, agitation, or sleep disruption.
  • Two-week proper-dose trial with no perceived benefit.
  • Mood destabilization in either direction.
Identity

What it is.

Cortagen is a four-amino-acid (Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro) from the Khavinson bioregulator family, developed at the St. Petersburg Institute. Within the Khavinson taxonomy, Cortagen is the cerebral-cortex member, marketed for cognitive recovery after head injury, peripheral-nerve regeneration, and broader nervous-system support.

The pitch is consistent with the rest of the family: Cortagen normalizes gene expression in cortical and peripheral nervous tissue, supports recovery from neurological insult, and may help with chronic conditions involving nerve damage. It's often grouped clinically with Pinealon for combined nervous-system protocols.

It is sold strictly as a research chemical (RUO) in the US and Europe. There is no version. Like the rest of the Khavinson family, dosing is in short courses (typically 10–20 days), repeated rather than continuous.

TL;DR

TL;DR. 30-second version.

The compressed verdict — what Cortagen actually is, what the human evidence shows, and the watch-for in three bullets. Locked.

Get the report · $19 ↓
Mechanism

Mechanism.

Mechanism · in the Cortagen report

How the molecule actually works — receptor profile, downstream signaling, what to expect mechanistically.

Get the report · $19 ↓
Evidence

Evidence. What we actually know in humans.

Evidence · in the Cortagen report

The trial breakdown — phase, n, primary endpoint, who funded, what hit, what didn't.

Get the report · $19 ↓
Human-Evidence Factbox
Independent RCTs
$19 ↓
Khavinson-lab papers
$19 ↓
Animal studies
$19 ↓
FDA-approved
$19 ↓
Approved anywhere
$19 ↓
Interaction — anticoagulants (theoretical)
$19 ↓
Interaction — immunosuppressants (theoretical)
$19 ↓
Community protocol — 10-day cycle
$19 ↓
Major adverse events flagged
$19 ↓
Dose

Dose. The actual protocol.

Dose · in the Cortagen report

The specific protocol — dose, titration schedule, cycle pattern, frequency, route.

We read 15 studies to write this report.
Get the report · $19 ↓
Sourcing

Sourcing. Where the cohort actually buys.

Sourcing · in the Cortagen report

Sourcing breakdown — vendor methodology, red flags, our published test results, COA checklist.

We read 15 studies to write this report.
Get the report · $19 ↓
Safety

Safety. Side effects.

Safety · in the Cortagen report

The watch-for list — contraindications, drug interactions, monitoring labs, when to stop.

Get the report · $19 ↓
Editorial Position

Editorial position.

Editorial Position · in the Cortagen report

Our editorial position — explicit yes / no / depends, with the reasoning behind it.

Get the report · $19 ↓
Citations

Citations.

  1. 01Khavinson VK. Tissue-specific effects of peptides. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2001;132(2):807-8. PMID: 11713572.
  2. 02Turchaninova LN, et al. Effect of tetrapeptide cortagen on regeneration of sciatic nerve. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2000;130(12):1172-4. PMID: 11276314.
  3. 03Zarubina IV, et al. [Cortexin and cortagen as correcting agents in functional and metabolic disorders in the brain in chronic ischemia]. Eksperimental'naia i klinicheskaia farmakologiia. 2011;74(2):8-15. PMID: 21476278.
  4. 04Anisimov SV, et al. Elucidation of the effect of brain cortex tetrapeptide Cortagen on gene expression in mouse heart by microarray. Neuro endocrinology letters. 2004;25(1-2):87-93. PMID: 15159690.
  5. 05Kolosova LI, et al. The delayed effect of cortagen on the restoration of injured nerve function. Doklady biological sciences : proceedings of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Biological sciences sections. 2002;384:183-4. PMID: 12134478.
+Show all 15 citations
  1. 06Kozina LS. Effects of bioactive tetrapeptides on free-radical processes. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2007;143(6):744-6. PMID: 18239817.
  2. 07Lezhava T, et al. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF PEPTIDE BIOREGULATORS ON THE "OLD" CHROMATIN. Georgian medical news. 2023(335):79-83. PMID: 37042594.
  3. 08Kazakova TB, et al. Synthesis of IL-2 mRNA in cells of rat hypothalamic structures after injection of short peptides. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2005;139(6):718-20. PMID: 16224591.
  4. 09Khavinson VKh, et al. Effects of short peptides on thymocyte blast transformation and signal transduction along the sphingomyelin pathway. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2002;133(5):497-9. PMID: 12420072.
  5. 10Kazakova TB, et al. In vitro effect of short peptides on expression of interleukin-2 gene in splenocytes. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2002;133(6):614-6. PMID: 12447482.
  6. 11Khavinson VKh, et al. Effects of short peptides on lymphocyte chromatin in senile subjects. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2004;137(1):78-81. PMID: 15085253.
  7. 12Gumen AV, et al. Production of lymphocyte-activating factors by mouse macrophages during aging and under the effect of short peptides. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2006;142(3):360-2. PMID: 17426849.
  8. 13Zarubina IV, et al. Neuroprotective Effects of Peptides during Ischemic Preconditioning. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2016;160(4):448-51. PMID: 26902350.
  9. 14Khavinson VKh, et al. [Tissue-specific action of peptides in tissue culture of rats of various ages]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2002;9:95-100. PMID: 12096446.
  10. 15Kuznik BI, et al. [Effects of epithalon and cortagene on immunity and hemostasis in neonatally hypophysectomized chicken and old birds]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2008;21(3):372-81. PMID: 19432169.
The Cortagen Report · $19

Everything you need to start.

Dose, sourcing, safety, our verdict. One purchase. Yours forever.

Built from 15 cited studies.

Or get every report. All reports — $99 once · Pro — $29/mo.
Compare tiers →