title: A complex dietary supplement augments spatial learning, brain mass, and mitochondrial electron transport chain activity in aging mice.
abstract: We developed a complex dietary supplement designed to offset five key mechanisms of aging and tested its effectiveness in ameliorating age-related cognitive decline using a visually cued Morris water maze test. All younger mice (<1 year old) learned the task well. However, older untreated mice (>1 year) were unable to learn the maze even after 5 days, indicative of strong cognitive decline at older ages. In contrast, no cognitive decline was evident in older supplemented mice, even when ∼2 years old. Supplemented older mice were nearly 50% better at locating the platform than age-matched controls. Brain weights of supplemented mice were significantly greater than controls, even at younger ages. Reversal of cognitive decline in activity of complexes III and IV by supplementation was significantly associated with cognitive improvement, implicating energy supply as one possible mechanism. These results represent proof of principle that complex dietary supplements can provide powerful benefits for cognitive function and brain aging.
authors: Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W., Hamilton, ON, Canada.
authors: Vadim
authors: V
authors: Aksenov
authors: Jiangang
authors: J
authors: Long
authors: Jiankang
authors: J
authors: Liu
authors: Henry
authors: H
authors: Szechtman
authors: Parul
authors: P
authors: Khanna
authors: Sarthak
authors: S
authors: Matravadia
authors: C David
authors: CD
authors: Rollo
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D003463:Cues; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004579:Electron Transport; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D051336:Mitochondrial Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D009929:Organ Size