title: Formulation of a medical food cocktail for Alzheimer's disease: beneficial effects on cognition and neuropathology in a mouse model of the disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dietary supplements have been extensively studied for their beneficial effects on cognition and AD neuropathology. The current study examines the effect of a medical food cocktail consisting of the dietary supplements curcumin, piperine, epigallocatechin gallate, α-lipoic acid, N-acetylcysteine, B vitamins, vitamin C, and folate on cognitive functioning and the AD hallmark features and amyloid-beta (Aβ) in the Tg2576 mouse model of the disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study found that administering the medical food cocktail for 6 months improved cortical- and hippocampal- dependent learning in the transgenic mice, rendering their performance indistinguishable from non-transgenic controls. Coinciding with this improvement in learning and memory, we found that treatment resulted in decreased soluble Aβ, including Aβ oligomers, previously found to be linked to cognitive functioning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, the current study demonstrates that combination diet consisting of natural dietary supplements improves cognitive functioning while decreasing AD neuropathology and may thus represent a safe, natural treatment for AD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parachikova
authors.forename: Kim N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Curt
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hendrix
authors.forename: Frank M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: LaFerla
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000470:Alkaloids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D052117:Benzodioxoles / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002392:Catechin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003474:Curcumin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010880:Piperidines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008063:Thioctic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014803:Vitamin B Complex / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D052117:Benzodioxoles; D010880:Piperidines; D053284:Polyunsaturated Alkamides; D014815:Vitamins; D014803:Vitamin B Complex; D008063:Thioctic Acid; D002392:Catechin; D005492:Folic Acid; C045651:epigallocatechin gallate; D003474:Curcumin; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; C008922:piperine; D000111:Acetylcysteine