Mood, food, and cognition: role of tryptophan and serotonin

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Abstract

Food is not only necessary as a metabolic fuel for the body, it becomes more and more evident that there exists an association between food and brain functions like mood and cognition. Tryptophan represents a key element for brain functioning, because of its role as a precursor for production of neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine). In clinical conditions, which involve chronic immune system activation or under cytokine therapy, lower tryptophan levels because of high catabolism of tryptophan as indicated by the kynurenine to tryptophan ratio are common and often associate with depressive mood.

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A 2 year multidomain intervention of diet, exercise, cognitive training, and vascular risk monitoring versus control to prevent cognitive decline in at-risk elderly people (FINGER): a randomised controlled trial.

Tiia Ngandu, Jenni Lehtisalo, Alina Solomon … (2015)

Modifiable vascular and lifestyle-related risk factors have been associated with dementia risk in observational studies. In the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER), a proof-of-concept randomised controlled trial, we aimed to assess a multidomain approach to prevent cognitive decline in at-risk elderly people from the general population. In a double-blind randomised controlled trial we enrolled individuals aged 60-77 years recruited from previous national surveys. Inclusion criteria were CAIDE (Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia) Dementia Risk Score of at least 6 points and cognition at mean level or slightly lower than expected for age. We randomly assigned participants in a 1:1 ratio to a 2 year multidomain intervention (diet, exercise, cognitive training, vascular risk monitoring), or a control group (general health advice). Computer-generated allocation was done in blocks of four (two individuals randomly allocated to each group) at each site. Group allocation was not actively disclosed to participants and outcome assessors were masked to group allocation. The primary outcome was change in cognition as measured through comprehensive neuropsychological test battery (NTB) Z score. Analysis was by modified intention to treat (all participants with at least one post-baseline observation). This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01041989. Between Sept 7, 2009, and Nov 24, 2011, we screened 2654 individuals and randomly assigned 1260 to the intervention group (n=631) or control group (n=629). 591 (94%) participants in the intervention group and 599 (95%) in the control group had at least one post-baseline assessment and were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. Estimated mean change in NTB total Z score at 2 years was 0·20 (SE 0·02, SD 0·51) in the intervention group and 0·16 (0·01, 0·51) in the control group. Between-group difference in the change of NTB total score per year was 0·022 (95% CI 0·002-0·042, p=0·030). 153 (12%) individuals dropped out overall. Adverse events occurred in 46 (7%) participants in the intervention group compared with six (1%) participants in the control group; the most common adverse event was musculoskeletal pain (32 [5%] individuals for intervention vs no individuals for control). Findings from this large, long-term, randomised controlled trial suggest that a multidomain intervention could improve or maintain cognitive functioning in at-risk elderly people from the general population. Academy of Finland, La Carita Foundation, Alzheimer Association, Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation, Juho Vainio Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Finnish Social Insurance Institution, Ministry of Education and Culture, Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, Axa Research Fund, EVO funding for University Hospitals of Kuopio, Oulu, and Turku and for Seinäjoki Central Hospital and Oulu City Hospital, Swedish Research Council, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, and af Jochnick Foundation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase and metabolic control of immune responses.

David Munn, Andrew L Mellor (2013)

Sustained access to nutrients is a fundamental biological need, especially for proliferating cells, and controlling nutrient supply is an ancient strategy to regulate cellular responses to stimuli. By catabolizing the essential amino acid TRP, cells expressing the enzyme indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO) can mediate potent local effects on innate and adaptive immune responses to inflammatory insults. Here, we discuss recent progress in elucidating how IDO activity promotes local metabolic changes that impact cellular and systemic responses to inflammatory and immunological signals. These recent developments identify potential new targets for therapy in a range of clinical settings, including cancer, chronic infections, autoimmune and allergic syndromes, and transplantation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Total daily physical activity and the risk of AD and cognitive decline in older adults.

A S Buchman, P. Boyle, L Yu … (2012)

Studies examining the link between objective measures of total daily physical activity and incident Alzheimer disease (AD) are lacking. We tested the hypothesis that an objective measure of total daily physical activity predicts incident AD and cognitive decline. Total daily exercise and nonexercise physical activity was measured continuously for up to 10 days with actigraphy (Actical®; Philips Healthcare, Bend, OR) from 716 older individuals without dementia participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a prospective, observational cohort study. All participants underwent structured annual clinical examination including a battery of 19 cognitive tests. During an average follow-up of about 4 years, 71 subjects developed clinical AD. In a Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for age, sex, and education, total daily physical activity was associated with incident AD (hazard ratio = 0.477; 95% confidence interval 0.273-0.832). The association remained after adjusting for self-report physical, social, and cognitive activities, as well as current level of motor function, depressive symptoms, chronic health conditions, and APOE allele status. In a linear mixed-effect model, the level of total daily physical activity was associated with the rate of global cognitive decline (estimate 0.033, SE 0.012, p = 0.007). A higher level of total daily physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of AD.