Category: Memory

The Mild Nutrient Deficiency Linked To Memory Loss (M)

Supplementation reversed the effects of age-related memory loss.

Supplementation reversed the effects of age-related memory loss.

A diet low in flavanols is linked to age-related memory loss, a large study finds.

However, taking a daily flavanol supplement over three years reversed these losses.

Many people already get enough flavanols from a healthy diet, however those with a poorer diet will probably benefit.

Flavanols, which are a type of flavonoid, are found in nearly all fruits and vegetables, as well as in tea.

Participants in the study with a mild flavanol deficiency experienced boosts to their cognitive functioning of 16 percent over the three years of the study.

Professor Adam Brickman, the study’s first author, said:

“The improvement among study participants with low-flavanol diets was substantial and raises the possibility of using flavanol-rich diets or supplements to improve cognitive function in older adults.”

Neurons in the hippocampus

Professor Scott Small, study co-author, has been studying age-related memory loss for many years.

His lab has shown that changes in the dentate gyrus, a part of the hippocampus, are central to memory decline.

Flavanols, though, enhance neuron and blood vessel growth in this region.

Professor Small said:

“The identification of nutrients critical for the proper development of an infant’s nervous system was a crowning achievement of 20th century nutrition science.

In this century, as we are living longer research is starting to reveal that different nutrients are needed to fortify our aging minds.”

The current study included over 3,500 healthy adults given either a flavanol supplement or a placebo over three years.

The supplement contained 500 mg of flavanols, including 80 mg of epicatechins, a type of flavanol thought to be particularly effective.

The memories of those with mild flavanol deficiencies improved by 10.5 percent compared to placebo and by 16 percent compared to their scores at the start of the study.

Dramatic improvements

While the study provides strong evidence for the benefits of a healthy dietary flavanol intake, Professor Small is cautious:

“We cannot yet definitively conclude that low dietary intake of flavanols alone causes poor memory performance, because we did not conduct the opposite experiment: depleting flavanol in people who are not deficient.”

Next, Professor Small wants to look at the effects of rectifying a severe flavanol deficiency:

“Age-related memory decline is thought to occur sooner or later in nearly everyone, though there is a great amount of variability.

If some of this variance is partly due to differences in dietary consumption of flavanols, then we would see an even more dramatic improvement in memory in people who replenish dietary flavanols when they’re in their 40s and 50s.”

High-flavanol foods

Foods that containing high levels of flavanols include:

  • pears,
  • olive oil,
  • wine,
  • tomato sauce,
  • kale,
  • beans,
  • tea,
  • spinach,
  • broccoli,
  • apples,
  • and oranges.

Related

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Brickman et al., 2023).

Forgetfulness Is Common Even Among Young — Sometimes With Tragic Consequences (M)

In the United States, since 1998 almost 1,000 children have died in the car after their caregiver forgot about them.

In the United States, since 1998 almost 1,000 children have died in the car after their caregiver forgot about them.

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The Foods That Can Quickly Lead To Memory Loss

The rapid damage done to the brain by eating these foods is surprising.

The rapid damage done to the brain by eating these foods is surprising.

Eating a diet of highly processed foods could seriously damage your memory, a study on rats suggests.

A diet high in foods like soft drinks, chips, candy, ice-cream and packaged soups is linked to neuroinflammation and cognitive problems.

However, the omega-3 fatty acid DHA almost completely reverses this effect — even in older rats.

Foods high in DHA include salmon, trout, oysters, cod and canned tuna.

The rapid damage done to the brain by eating highly processed foods is surprising, said Dr Ruth Barrientos, study co-author:

“The fact we’re seeing these effects so quickly is a little bit alarming.

These findings indicate that consumption of a processed diet can produce significant and abrupt memory deficits—and in the aging population, rapid memory decline has a greater likelihood of progressing into neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.

By being aware of this, maybe we can limit processed foods in our diets and increase consumption of foods that are rich in the omega-3 fatty acid DHA to either prevent or slow that progression.”

The study on rats fed some of them a standard diet or one that mimicked the highly processed diet that many people around the world now consume.

A third group were given the highly processed diet along with DHA supplementation.

Eating a highly processed diet caused inflammation in critical areas of the brain, including the hippocampus and amygdala.

Dr Barrientos explained:

“The amygdala in humans has been implicated in memories associated with emotional—fear and anxiety-producing—events.

If this region of the brain is dysfunctional, cues that predict danger may be missed and could lead to bad decisions.”

The hippocampus, meanwhile is vital for memory.

Rats fed the highly processed diet subsequently demonstrated memory loss, unless they were given DHA supplementation.

Prevention is better than cure, though, and highly processed foods are unhealthy in many ways, warned Dr Barrientos:

“These are the types of diets that are advertised as being low in fat, but they’re highly processed.

They have no fiber and have refined carbohydrates that are also known as low-quality carbohydrates.

Folks who are used to looking at nutritional information need to pay attention to the fiber and quality of carbohydrates.

This study really shows those things are important.”

The study was published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity (Butler et al., 2021).

Exercise Stimulates Neurons In Brain’s Memory And Learning Centres

The beneficial effects of exercise on the hippocampus, an area critical for memory and learning.

The beneficial effects of exercise on the hippocampus, an area critical for memory and learning.

Being physically active is essential for maintaining mental health and what is more, improves hippocampal function related to learning and memory, a study shows.

Exercise stimulates the production of chemical signals important for neuronal development in the hippocampus.

Mr Ki Yun Lee, the study’s first author, said:

“The hippocampus is a crucial area for learning and memory, and therefore cognitive health.”

During physical activity our muscle fibres contract and by doing so certain chemical compounds are released into the blood vessels and circulated around the body, including the hippocampus.

Swimming, cycling, bicep curls, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, are examples of sporting activities that involve muscle contraction (tightening, lengthening, or shortening of muscles).

The researchers wanted to find out how muscle signals are converted and used for neuronal activity and development in the hippocampus.

Knowing the beneficial effects of exercise on the hippocampus could lead to specific exercise-based interventions to overcome neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Hippocampal neurons

For this study, samples containing mice muscle cells were obtained and kept in the lab in cell culture plates.

When the muscle cells were grown, they began to contract and release chemical signals in the plates.

Then those cultures containing chemical signals were added to another culture which held hippocampal neurons and astrocytes (supportive cells).

The team also used various techniques to track neurons’ electrical activity and so they were able to examine how the hippocampal cells were influenced by the chemical signals.

They found that hippocampal neurons, when receiving the chemical signals from contracting muscles, started to produce larger and more frequent electrical signals.

These suggest that neurons of the hippocampus were flourishing and healthy while at the same time developing a powerful network.

Furthermore, they looked at the mediating role of astrocytes in order to understand what biological mechanism links exercise to brain health.

Mr Lee said:

“Astrocytes are the first responders in the brain before the compounds from muscles reach the neurons.”

When astrocytes were removed from the cell cultures, the team saw that hippocampal neurons began to generate more electrical signals.

This indicates an absence of astrocytes, Mr Lee said:

“Astrocytes play a critical role in mediating the effects of exercise.

By regulating neuronal activity and preventing hyperexcitability of neurons, astrocytes contribute to the balance necessary for optimal brain function.”

He added:

“Ultimately, our research may contribute to the development of more effective exercise regimens for cognitive disorders such as ‘s disease.”

The study was published in the journal Neuroscience (Lee et al., 2023).

10 Foods That Improve Memory In Young And Old Alike

Improvements in working memory, long-term memory, executive function and more…

Improvements in working memory, long-term memory, executive function and more…

The Mediterranean diet can improve your memory no matter where you live or what your age, research shows.

A review of 18 separate studies carried out over 5 years has found that memory was particularly positively affected by the Mediterranean diet.

People on the ‘MedDiet’ saw improvements in their working memory, long-term memory and visual memory, the researchers found.

Positive effects were also seen for attention and language.

Here are ten typical ingredients of the MedDiet:

  • Green leafy vegetables,
  • other vegetables,
  • nuts,
  • berries,
  • beans,
  • whole grains,
  • fish,
  • poultry,
  • olive oil
  • and wine.

The MedDiet also has relatively little red meat, little dairy and uses olive oil as the largest source of fat.

Mr Roy Hardman, the study’s first author, said:

“The most surprising result was that the positive effects were found in countries around the whole world.

So regardless of being located outside of what is considered the Mediterranean region, the positive cognitive effects of a higher adherence to a MedDiet were similar in all evaluated papers.”

Mr Hardman went on:

“Why is a higher adherence to the MedDiet related to slowing down the rate of cognitive decline?

The MedDiet offers the opportunity to change some of the modifiable risk factors.

These include reducing inflammatory responses, increasing micronutrients, improving vitamin and mineral imbalances, changing lipid profiles by using olive oils as the main source of dietary fats, maintaining weight and potentially reducing obesity, improving polyphenols in the blood, improving cellular energy metabolism and maybe changing the gut micro-biota, although this has not been examined to a larger extent yet.”

The benefits to memory extended to the young as well as the old, the researchers also found.

Mr Hardman said:

“I would therefore recommend people to try to adhere or switch to a MedDiet, even at an older age.

I follow the diet patterns and do not eat any red meats, chicken or pork.

I have fish two-three times per week and adhere to a Mediterranean style of eating.”

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, (Hardman et al., 2016).

This Beverage Reversed Normal Age-Related Memory Loss in Three Months

Drinking this could reduce your brain age twenty years in just three months.

Drinking this could reduce your brain age twenty years in just three months.

Cocoa flavanoids — like those contained in a cup of cocoa — can reverse age-related memory loss in older adults, a study finds.

This is the first direct evidence that an important component of memory decline that comes with age can be improved with a simple dietary change.

Typically, normal age-related memory declines are noticeable to people in their fifties and sixties: things like forgetting where the keys are or having trouble recalling a name or word.

These changes are much less severe than those which typically occur as a result of devastating dementias like Alzheimer’s disease.

The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, found a high-flavanol diet could restore aspects of older people’s memory back to that of a typical 30- or 40-year-old (Brickman et al., 2014).

The changes were clearly visible in brain scans, as Dr. Adam M. Brickman, the study’s lead author explained:

“When we imaged our research subjects’ brains, we found noticeable improvements in the function of the dentate gyrus in those who consumed the high-cocoa-flavanol drink.”

The image below shows the dentate gyrus in green (this is part of the hippocampus).

Previous research has shown that it is changes in this area of the brain that are associated with normal age-related memory loss.

dentate_gyrus

Participants in the study were 37 healthy people aged between 50 and 69.

They were randomised into two groups, one of which was given a high-flavanol diet (900mg of flavanols per day) and the other given a low-flavanol diet (10mg per day).

At the end of the three-month period of the study, participants on the high-flavanoid diet showed improvements on memory tests.

Professor Scott A. Small, one of the study’s authors, explained the results:

“If a participant had the memory of a typical 60-year-old at the beginning of the study, after three months that person on average had the memory of a typical 30- or 40-year-old.”

Flavanols are also found in tea leaves, and certain fruits and vegetables, although the exact amounts and forms vary widely.

The researchers cautioned that people should not eat more chocolate as the critical flavanoids are not present at the required levels — the dietary supplement used in the study was specially formulated.

Image credit: Lab of Scott A. Small, M.D.

Mushroom Extract Grows New Brain Cells And Boosts Memory (M)

A study shows that the active compounds in these unusual mushrooms enhances memory and stimulates brain cell growth.

A study shows that the active compounds in these unusual mushrooms enhances memory and stimulates brain cell growth.

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Why Traumatic Memories Are So Hard To Suppress

PTSD is thought to affect around one-third of people who experience a traumatic event.

PTSD is thought to affect around one-third of people who experience a traumatic event.

People who have experienced traumas find it harder to suppress emotional memories, research reveals.

The reason could be neural disruption in areas of the brain linked to suppressing memories.

The study helps to explain why people exposed to car accidents, medical issues or other traumas continue to relive emotional memories.

People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) find memories of a traumatic event continue to intrude and incapacitate them.

This happens even when they try to suppress the memory.

The conclusions come from a study of 48 people, some with PTSD, some who had been exposed to trauma, but not developed PTSD, and a control group.

Everyone was shown pictures and asked to suppress some of them.

The results showed that people who had been exposed to traumas found it harder to suppress the memory than the control group.

Dr Danielle R. Sullivan, the study’s first author, explained the results of brain scans conducted alongside the behavioural test:

“Neuroimaging data revealed that trauma-exposed individuals showed reduced activation in the right middle frontal gyrus, a critical region for memory suppression, during a memory suppression task and were less likely to successfully suppress memory compared to non-trauma exposed individuals.

These results suggest that trauma exposure is associated with neural and behavioral disruptions in memory suppression and point to the possibility that difficulty in active suppression of memories may be just one of several likely factors contributing to the development of PTSD.”

PTSD can be a result of a road accident, a violent personal assault, serious medical problems or other traumatic events.

People experiencing PTSD may have trouble sleeping and difficulty concentrating.

PTSD is thought to affect around one-third of people who experience a traumatic event.

PTSD is usually treated by either ‘watchful waiting’, antidepressants or psychological therapies.

The study was published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research (Sullivan et al., 2019).

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