title: Hazelnut and neuroprotection: Improved memory and hindered anxiety in response to intra-hippocampal Aβ injection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Corylus avellana L. (hazelnut) is known to be a delicious and nutritious food. This study was carried out to evaluate the use of hazelnut as a therapy for memory impairment because in Iranian traditional medicine, it is recommended for those suffering from a particular type of dementia, with symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, rats were fed with hazelnut kernel [(without skin) 800 mg/kg/day] during 1 week before stereotaxic surgery to 24 hours before behavioral testing (in general, for 16 consecutive days) and the effect of hazelnut eating on memory, anxiety, neuroinflammation and apoptosis was assessed in the amyloid beta-injected rat.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of this study showed that feeding with hazelnut improved memory, (which was examined by using Y-maze test and shuttle box apparatus), and reduced anxiety-related behavior, that was evaluated using elevated plus maze. Also, western blotting analysis of cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein, and caspase-3 showed that hazelnut has an ameliorating effect on the neuroinflammation and apoptosis caused by Aβ.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These ﬁndings suggest that hazelnut, as a dietary supplement, improves healthy aging and could be a beneficial diet for the treatment of AD.
authors.affiliation: a Traditional Medicine and Materia Medica Research Center and Department of Traditional Pharmacy , School of Traditional Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bahaeddin
authors.affiliation: b Neuroscience Research Center , Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran.
authors.forename: Asal
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yans
authors.affiliation: b Neuroscience Research Center , Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran.|c NeuroBiology Research Center , Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran.
authors.forename: Fariba
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Khodagholi
authors.affiliation: a Traditional Medicine and Materia Medica Research Center and Department of Traditional Pharmacy , School of Traditional Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran.
authors.forename: Homa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hajimehdipoor
authors.affiliation: a Traditional Medicine and Materia Medica Research Center and Department of Traditional Pharmacy , School of Traditional Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran.
authors.forename: Shamim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sahranavard
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D017209:Apoptosis; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D031211:Corylus / Q000254:growth & development; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D019448:Ethnobotany; D055951:Functional Food; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D018782:Maze Learning; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008568:Memory; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D000066829:Neuroprotection; D009754:Nuts / Q000254:growth & development; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Anxiety; Apoptosis; Hazelnut; Memory; Neuroinflammation