Lee Swanson Research Update

Antioxidant OPCs May Provide Support for Memory

October 2009

Oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) dietary supplements improved memory in animals with age-related cognitive decline, says a new study from Japan and Korea.

Animals engineered to model the decline in cognitive function and memory that occurs naturally in humans had improved spatial and object recognition when supplemented with OPCs for five weeks, according to findings published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Researchers from the University of Toyama in Japan and Pusan National University in South Korea report that OPCs were associated with an increase in the densities of axons, dendrites and synapses in the brains of the animals compared to control animals.

While cognitive function is known to decline naturally as we age, accelerated decline is associated with an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers used mice with an increased rate of senescence as a model for age-related deficits in learning and memory in humans. Animals, supplemented with OPCs for five weeks, were tested using a Morris water maze, object location and object recognition tests.

The results showed that OPC-consuming animals had "improved spatial and object recognition impairment," wrote the researchers.

Further study revealed that the compounds conferred a neuroprotective role in the brains of the animals.

"Elucidating the relationship between memory impairment with ageing and [protein] signaling may provide new suggestions for protection against memory deficit in the ageing brain," the researchers reported.

British Journal of Nutrition Published online ahead of print.

New to Natural Health?
Tools
Customer Service