Effect of Anserine/Carnosine Supplementation on Verbal Episodic Memory in Elderly People

• Published in: Journal of Alzheimer's disease Vol. 50; no. 1; pp. 149 - 159
• Main Authors: Hisatsune, Tatsuhiro, Kaneko, Jun, Kurashige, Hiroki, Cao, Yuan, Satsu, Hideo, Totsuka, Mamoru, Katakura, Yoshinori, Imabayashi, Etsuko, Matsuda, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.01.2016
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aging; Anserine - pharmacology; Brain - anatomy & histology; Brain - drug effects; Carnosine - pharmacology; Cytokines - blood; Cytokines - genetics; Dietary Supplements; Double-Blind Method; Female; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Male; Memory, Episodic; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Verbal Learning - drug effects; cognitive function; verbal memory; inflammatory cytokine; perfusion MRI; Alzheimer’s disease; anserine and carnosine; dementia; elderly people; randomized controlled trial
• ISSN: 1387-2877; 1875-8908
• DOI: 10.3233/JAD-150767

Our goal in this study was to determine whether or not anserine/carnosine supplementation (ACS) is capable of preserving cognitive function of elderly people. In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, volunteers were randomly assigned to an ACS or placebo group at a 1:1 ratio. The ACS group took 1.0 g of an anserine/carnosine (3:1) formula daily for 3 months. Participants were evaluated by psychological tests before and after the 3-month supplementation period. Thirty-nine healthy elderly volunteers (60–78 years old) completed the follow-up tests. Among the tests, delayed recall verbal memory assessed by the Wechsler Memory Scale-Logical Memory showed significant preservation in the ACS group, compared to the placebo group (p = 0.0128). Blood analysis revealed a decreased secretion of inflammatory cytokines, including CCL-2 and IL-8, in the ACS group. MRI analysis using arterial spin labeling showed a suppression in the age-related decline in brain blood flow in the posterior cingulate cortex area in the ACS group, compared to the placebo group (p = 0.0248). In another randomized controlled trial, delayed recall verbal memory showed significant preservation in the ACS group, compared to the placebo group (p = 0.0202). These results collectively suggest that ACS may preserve verbal episodic memory and brain perfusion in elderly people, although further study is needed.