Open AccessNutritional modifiers of aging brain function: use of uridine and other phosphatide precursors to increase formation of brain synapses
Author(s) -
Wurtman Richard J,
Cansev Mehmet,
Sakamoto Toshimasa,
Ulus Ismael
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
nutrition reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.958
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1753-4887
pISSN - 0029-6643
DOI - 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00344.x
Subject(s) - docosahexaenoic acid , hippocampal formation , dendritic spine , arachidonic acid , uridine , hippocampus , brain aging , neuroscience , brain function , human brain , chemistry , biochemistry , biology , polyunsaturated fatty acid , fatty acid , rna , cognition , gene , enzyme
Brain phosphatide synthesis requires three circulating compounds: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), uridine, and choline. Oral administration of these phosphatide precursors to experimental animals increases the levels of phosphatides and synaptic proteins in the brain and per brain cell as well as the numbers of dendritic spines on hippocampal neurons. Arachidonic acid fails to reproduce these effects of DHA. If similar increases occur in human brain, administration of these compounds to patients with diseases that cause loss of brain synapses, such as Alzheimer's disease, could be beneficial.