 |
| Research article summary (published 30 May 2009): |
Effects of blackberries on motor and cognitive function in aged rats.
Full Abstract
The polyphenolics in fruits and vegetables, when fed to rats from 19-21 months of age, have been shown to retard and even reverse age-related decrements in motor and cognitive performance. These effects may be the result of the polyphenols increasing antioxidant and/or anti-inflammatory levels, or by direct effects on signaling, in the brain. Increased dietary intake of berry fruit, in particular, has a positive and profound impact on human health, performance, and disease. Thus, the present study examined a 2% blackberry-supplemented diet for its effectiveness in reversing age-related deficits in behavioral and neuronal function when fed to aged (19-month-old) Fischer 344 rats for 8 weeks. The results showed that the blackberry diet improved motor performance on three tasks which rely on balance and co-ordination: the accelerating rotarod, wire suspension, and the small plank walk. Results for the Morris water maze showed that the blackberry-fed rats had significantly greater working, or short-term, memory performance than the control rats. These data support our previous investigations in which we have seen improved motor and cognitive performance in aged rats after supplementation with other berry fruits.
Author information
Author/s: Shukitt-Hale, Barbara (B); Cheng, Vivian (V); Joseph, James A (JA);
Affiliation: USDA-ARS, Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA. barbara.shukitthale(-atsign-)ars.usda.gov
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal: Nutritional neuroscience (Nutr Neurosci), published in England. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2009-Jun; vol 12 (issue 3) : pp 135-40
Dates: Created 2009/04/09; Completed 2009/06/05;
PMID: 19356316, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 6/5/2009, IMS Date: 05 Jun 2009 00:00:00)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):
Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.
This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.
MeSH headings (categories)
This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.
Related articles
This article has not been indexed for related articles as yet, however you can still use the live related article search links below.
See a large map of 100+ related articles.