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Chocolate may attenuate cognitive deterioration in Alzheimer's disease through prevention of gene expression related to depressive disorder
Author(s) -
Pasinetti Giulio Maria
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.1177.7
Subject(s) - long term potentiation , disease , synaptic plasticity , dementia , depression (economics) , cognition , neuroscience , anxiety , cognitive decline , neuroplasticity , psychology , medicine , psychiatry , receptor , economics , macroeconomics
Chocolate has been shown to improve cognitive behavior. In particular, there is evidence that it may reduce dementia and attenuate cognitive deterioration in experimental models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) as well as in elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment. One condition associated with onset of experimental AD mouse models is characterized by depression and anxiety. A recent study suggests that the brain of a subject with major depressive disorder may be characterized by lower brain volume and major synaptic loss in humans. In addition, recent evidence suggests that experimental models of depression are characterized by decreased expression of downstream genes associated with transcriptional factor GATA1, which are genes associated with synaptic plasticity. Ongoing studies in our laboratory suggest that certain preparations of natural cocoa with enriched epicatechin levels may promote GATA1‐mediated transcription of genes associated with brain plasticity coincidental with promotion of long‐term potentiation. Our studies will clarify the role of chocolate epicatechin metabolites in the modulation of depression‐related genes in a mouse model of AD.