Long article !
http://www.cerebralhealth.com/cognitivehealth.php
Cognitive Health
by Elizabeth Srejic
The brain is the master organ, responsible for such glories as emotion, intelligence and personality, as well as more mundane but crucial tasks including management of organ function, hormone regulation and locomotion. Certain nutritional practices can improve the performance of the body’s chief executive officer as it manages the body’s vast range of daily activities, from shaping the governing philosophies of the organism to tending to details at the bottom of the organizational pyramid.

Perhaps the most complex and sophisticated entity on Earth, the human brain could be considered the pinnacle of biological achievement. Indeed, one of life’s greatest miracles is the ability of cognitive tissue to transcend reflexive activities and form thoughts, versus the less sublime capabilities of the humble hair or the lowly leg, both relative dullards in comparison to the gifted brain. In fact, without the governance of the brain, these body parts and all of their compatriots would be rendered a useless collection of flailing limbs and failing systems.

Understandably, furnishing proper nutritional support to such a multifaceted organ involves provision of a comprehensive package of micronutrients and building blocks. These raw materials promote optimal cognitive function by sharpening mental acuity, inhibiting agerelated cognitive decline, and building and maintaining neurons, from the months preceding birth through the Golden Years.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants contribute to long-term structural and functional integrity of the brain by countering oxidative damage in neural tissues. Antioxidant intake may be of particular importance to older people looking to boost cognitive ability, as the aging brain typically struggles to heal cumulative oxidative damage. Supportive of this premise is a review from Tufts University, Boston; researchers wrote cellular generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) causes oxidative damage to nucleic acid, carbohydrate, protein and lipid components of the brain, where damaged neuronal cells—which are largely post-mitotic— cannot be replaced readily via mitosis.1 They added this damage causes morphological and functional modifications resulting in decrements in motor and cognitive performance, and possibly neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Further, numerous clinical trials confirm the importance of consuming an antioxidant-rich diet to preserve cognitive ability. A study from the University of Perugia in Italy connected depressed peripheral levels of the water-soluble antioxidant vitamin C; lipophilic antioxidants including vitamin A and vitamin E, and carotenoids such as lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene; and activities of plasma and red blood cell (RBC) antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD in test subjects, as compared to controls.2 Further, the researchers noted that since MCI may represent a prodromal stage of AD, and oxidative damage appears to occur as one of the earliest pathophysiological events in AD, an increased intake of antioxidants in patients with MCI could be helpful in lowering the risk of conversion to dementia. And a clinical trial from the University of Washington, Seattle, provides additional reason to increase consumption of antioxidants to ensure optimal cognitive performance over a lifetime; researchers monitored long-term antioxidant status and cognitive function in a seven-year study of 2,082 community-dwelling elderly subjects and found test subjects who supplemented with antioxidants (vitamins A, C or E, plus selenium or zinc) had a 34-percent lower risk of developing cognitive impairment and a 29-percent lower risk of experiencing cognitive decline, compared with non-antioxidant users.3

Vitamin E, in particular, seems to be one of the most neuroprotective antioxidants, with marked efficacy against AD and other neurodegenerative disorders.4,5 In a cohort of 1,033 elderly people, Italian researchers found participants with plasma vitamin E levels in the bottom tertile had a significantly higher probability of being demented and suffering from cognitive impairment, compared to those in the highest vitamin E tertile.6 And a six-year study from Rush University, Chicago, found a slower rate of cognitive decline was associated with intakes of vitamin E, alpha-tocopherols and alphatocopherol equivalents, and gamma-tocopherols.7

Other forms of vitamin E that have shown similarly positive results are tocotrienols. Tocomin®, a full-spectrum palm tocotrienol complex from Carotech, may be a particularly neuroprotective form of vitamin E; one mechanism by which the ingredient protects cognitive function is by crossing the blood-brain barrier and protecting neurons from glutamate-induced neurodegeneration, a major contributor to pathological cell death within the nervous system and a factor in development of AD, stroke and other neurodegenerative disorders.8,9,10 A rat study from Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, tested whether oral supplementation of tocotrienols (as Tocomin) during pregnancy is bioavailable to fetal and maternal brains, and whether short-term change in dietary vitamin E levels of pregnant rats influences gene expression profile of developing fetal brains.11 The researchers found supplementation with Tocomin increased tocotrienol levels in maternal and fetal brains by 5- and 20-fold, respectively.

Further, research published in Stroke suggested neuronal cells injected with alpha-tocotrienol (from Carotech), but not alphatocopherol, were protected from a glutamate challenge; and rats supplemented with alpha-tocotrienol experienced enhanced protection against stroke-induced neurodegeneration, as compared to matched controls.12 The researchers concluded alpha-tocotrienol acts on key molecular checkpoints to protect against glutamate- and strokeinduced neurodegeneration.

In addition to vitamins E and A, one vitamin-like compound implicated in cognitive function is coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a highly mobile electron carrier in the mitochondrial respiratory chain and powerful antioxidant.13

As CoQ10 levels decline with age,14 accelerating mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative damage (both precursors of beta-amyloid deposition), supplementation with the compound could be a preventive measure against AD, PD and other neurodegenerative disorders.15 Research corroborating this idea was conducted by Portuguese scientists who demonstrated CoQ10 therapy attenuated amyloid betapeptide toxicity in brain mitochondria isolated from elderly rats.16 The researchers evaluated several mitochondrial parameters including respiratory indexes, transmembrane potential, repolarization lag phase, repolarization and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, as well as mitochondrial production of hydrogen peroxide, and observed that CoQ10 treatment attenuated a significant decrease in oxidative phosphorylation efficiency and ATP content, and a significant increase in hydrogen peroxide production induced by 4 mcM of amyloid betapeptide (Abeta1-40). It was concluded the CoQ10 treatment counteracted brain mitochondrial alterations induced by the neurotoxic peptide, suggesting CoQ10 therapy can help to avoid a drastic energy deficiency that characterizes AD pathophysiology. And research from the University of North Texas, Fort Worth, showed supplementation of aged mice with CoQ10 and alpha-tocopherol improved brain function of aged mice, as measured by cognitive tests.17 Separate groups of aged mice (24 months) were administered either CoQ10 (123 mg/kg/d), or alpha-tocopherol acetate (200 mg/kg/d), or both, or just the vehicle (soybean oil) as a control, via gavage for a period of 14 weeks. Three weeks following the initiation of these treatments, mice were given a battery of age-sensitive behavioral tests for the assessment of learning and recent memory. In a test that required the mice to rapidly identify and remember the correct arm of a T-maze, and to respond preemptively in order to avoid an electric shock, the intake of alpha-tocopherol plus CoQ10 resulted in more rapid learning compared to the control group.

Fatty Compounds

Certain fatty compounds comprise another major nutritional category known to promote optimal cognitive function. One such class of compounds is polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which, much like amino acids, provide raw materials necessary to build lean body mass, and supply building blocks necessary for production of brain tissue and neurotransmitters important in cognitive function. Many scientists believe fish oil is an optimal source of PUFAs, due to its rich content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which may inhibit stroke by thinning blood and lowering blood pressure, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is particularly important in the generation and maintenance of neuronal tissues. Since insufficient dietary PUFAs could stunt cognitive development, many experts advise pregnant and lactating women to ensure high dietary intake of these compounds. In fact, according to a meta-analysis from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, increasing maternal DHA intake by 100 mg/d during pregnancy and lactation (or providing DHA-enriched formula to neonates) may increase the intelligence quotient (IQ) of offspring by 0.13 points.18 Further, a study from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, showed infants whose mothers had high serum DHA at birth scored higher on psychophysiological tests and distractibility paradigms and had greater focus during free-play over the first and second years.19 And a Norwegian study published in Pediatrics showed pregnant women supplemented with 10 mL/d of fish oil from gestational week 18 through delivery, and during the first three months postpartum while breastfeeding, produced offspring with higher scores on the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children at four years of age than did offspring of mothers given an equivalent dose of corn oil over the same time period.20

Another fatty compound of value to cognitive health is the nutrient choline, a component of brain cell membrane phospholipids and a precursor of acetylcholine (ACh), a neurotransmitter important in memory and concentration. A Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (Calif.) review of 34 studies in rodents linking the availability of choline during gestation and perinatal developm ..