Nutrients, age and cognition.

Full Abstract

Our knowledge about the influence of nutritional supplements on human cognition, especially in the elderly, rests largely on animal behavioural research and neurochemical experiments in vitro, while only a few epidemiological studies and even fewer controlled experiments in humans are reported. This is an inherent problem, due partly to the difficulty of conducting controlled nutritional experiments in humans, but may also partly be due to the gap between the research disciplines of nutritional and neurobehavioral experimental science.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
The aim of this paper is to discuss some new findings in this line of research, and to stress the importance of the need to start bridging the gap between disciplines by identifying possible human experimental models of altered cognitive function, which can elucidate the specific mechanisms of action through which nutritional supplements may enhance cognitive performance in humans in vivo. These experimental models are important because the research in this field is mostly based on epidemiological studies, which describe associations between nutrients and cognitive functions. Contrary to epidemiological studies, experimental models mimic associations between nutrients and cognition by manipulating their presumed mechanisms of action and can eventually explain the causal nature of found associations.Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Author information

Author/s: Jorissen, B L (BL); Riedel, W J (WJ);

Affiliation: Experimental Psychopharmacology Unit, Brain & Behaviour Institute, Universiteit Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Review

Journal: Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) (Clin Nutr), published in Scotland. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Feb; vol 21 (issue 1) : pp 89-95

Dates: Created 2002/03/08; Completed 2002/06/26; Revised 2008/11/21;

PMID: 11884018, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Aged
Aging - physiology
Cognition - physiology
Female

Female
Humans
Male
Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - physiology

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