title: A combination cocktail improves spatial attention in a canine model of human aging and Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves multiple pathological processes in the brain, including increased inflammation and oxidative damage, as well as the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques. We hypothesized that a combinatorial therapeutic approach to target these multiple pathways may provide cognitive and neuropathological benefits for AD patients. To test this hypothesis, we used a canine model of human aging and AD. Aged dogs naturally develop learning and memory impairments, human-type Aβ deposits, and oxidative damage in the brain. Thus, 9 aged beagles (98-115 months) were treated with a medical food cocktail containing (1) an extract of turmeric containing 95% curcuminoids; (2) an extract of green tea containing 50% epigallocatechingallate; (3) N-acetyl cysteine; (4) R-alpha lipoic acid; and (5) an extract of black pepper containing 95% piperine. Nine similarly aged dogs served as placebo-treated controls. After 3 months of treatment, 13 dogs completed a variable distance landmark task used as a measure of spatial attention. As compared to placebo-treated animals, dogs receiving the medical food cocktail had significantly lower error scores (t11 = 4.3, p = 0.001) and were more accurate across all distances (F(1,9) = 20.7, p = 0.001), suggesting an overall improvement in spatial attention. Measures of visual discrimination learning, executive function and spatial memory, and levels of brain and cerebrospinal fluid Aβ were unaffected by the cocktail. Our results indicate that this medical food cocktail may be beneficial for improving spatial attention and motivation deficits associated with impaired cognition in aging and AD.
authors.affiliation: Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536-0230, USA. Elizabeth.Head@uky.edu
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Head
authors.forename: Heather L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Murphey
authors.forename: Amy L S
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Dowling
authors.forename: Katie L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: McCarty
authors.forename: Samuel R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Bethel
authors.forename: Jonathan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Nitz
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pleiss
authors.forename: Jenna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanrooyen
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grossheim
authors.forename: Jeffery R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Smiley
authors.forename: M Paul
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Tina L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Beckett
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pagani
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bresch
authors.forename: Curt
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hendrix
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000523:psychology; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D028241:Camellia sinensis; D030024:Curcuma; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004285:Dogs; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D010936:Plant Extracts; C465546:green tea extract AR25; C012596:turmeric extract