Low levels of B
vitamins can
play a role in
cognitive
dysfunction and
impair learning
ability,
suggests a new
animal study.
Researchers
measured the
metabolic,
cognitive, and
microvascular
effects of
B-vitamin
deficiency in
mice. The
scientists
divided the
animals into
three groups and
fed them
different diets
for 10 weeks.
The researchers
gave the control
group a normal
diet containing
B vitamins while
two other groups
were fed
B-vitamin
deficient diets.
Blood levels of
B vitamins and
homocysteine
were measured
and brain
anatomy was
assessed. The
mice also
underwent tests
to measure
cognitive
function such as
holding on to a
wire and walking
a beam as well
as the Morris
water maze,
which tests
spatial learning
and memory.
In analyzing
structural
changes to the
brain,
researchers
determined that
the mice fed a
diet deficient
in folate,
vitamin B12 and
B6 had reduced
brain capillary
length and
density, both
vascular changes
linked to
cognitive
impairment. Mice
fed a diet
deficient in
folate, vitamin
B12 and vitamin
B6 also
demonstrated
significant
deficits in
spatial learning
and memory
compared with
normal mice. It
took longer, on
average, for the
B-vitamin-deficient
mice to
negotiate the
water maze,
compared with
controls. The
shorter the
capillary length
in the
hippocampus, the
longer it took
for mice to
escape from the
maze.
Moreover,
mice deficient
in these B
vitamins
developed
homocysteine
levels seven
times greater
than control
subjects.
Homocysteine is
an amino acid
associated with
heart disease
and also
cognitive
dysfunction.
High
homocysteine
levels have been
linked to
deficiencies of
folate, vitamin
B12, and vitamin
B6. The higher
the homocysteine
levels in the
mice used in
this study, the
shorter the
capillary length
in the
hippocampus.
The researchers
noted that
similar
microvascular
changes may
occur in humans
deficient in
folate and
vitamins B6 and
B12 and that
this may explain
the association
of high
homocysteine
levels with
human
age-related
cognitive
decline.
Reference:
Troen AM,
Shea-Budgell M,
Shukitt-Hale B,
Smith DE, Selhub
J, Rosenberg IH.
B-vitamin
deficiency
causes
hyperhomocysteinemia
and vascular
cognitive
impairment in
mice. Proc Natl
Acad Sci U S A.
2008 Aug
26;105(34):12474-9.
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