7.06.2006
Is Brain Speed Enhanced by Blueberries? the evidence
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Do Blueberries Impact Cognitive Processing?
It might be time to pick-up more B.C. or Maine grown blueberries...
Scientists at the University of Toronto and at Tufts University recently completed a study of age-related cognitive decline utilizing temporal processing speed as the unit of measure. Against this criterion, one group of aging rats was given a supplement of blueberry derived phytochemicals. The other group was given a placebo. After two months of regular feeding, the subjects were tested and the rats fed the complex of antioxidants derived from blueberries responded more quickly to a type of stimulus known as FM or frequency modulation.
Their quicker response time approximated that which might be observed in a younger rat. The result suggests that blueberries can play an important role in maintaining cognitive fitness.
Keywords: Aging; Auditory cortex; Antioxidants; Temporal processing speed; Frequency modulated sweeps; Blueberries
July Issue: Neurobiology of Aging
