Greater intake of vitamins B6 and B12 spares gray matter in healthy elderly: A voxel-based morphometry study
Kirk I. Ericksona, b,  ,  , Barbara L. Sueverb, Ruchika Shaurya Prakasha, b, Stanley J. Colcombec, Edward McAuleyb, d and Arthur F. Kramera, b
a Psychology Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
b Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
c Psychology Department, University of Wales, Bangor, UK
d Kinesiology Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
Received 10 September 2007; revised 12 November 2007; accepted 2 January 2008. Available online 26 January 2008.
Abstract
Previous studies have reported that high concentrations of homocysteine and lower concentrations of vitamins B6, B12, and folate increase the risk for cognitive decline and pathology in aging populations.
In this cross-sectional study, high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and a 3-day food diary were collected on 32 community-dwelling adults between the ages of 59 and 79.
We examined the relation between vitamins B6, B12, and folate intake on cortical volume using an optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) method and global gray and white matter volume after correcting for age, sex, body mass index, calorie intake, and education.
All participants met or surpassed the recommended daily intake for these vitamins. In the VBM analysis, we found that adults with greater vitamin B6 intake had greater gray matter volume along the medial wall, anterior cingulate cortex, medial parietal cortex, middle temporal gyrus, and superior frontal gyrus, whereas people with greater B12 intake had greater volume in the left and right superior parietal sulcus.
These effects were driven by vitamin supplementation and were negated when only examining vitamin intake from diet. Folate had no effect on brain volume. Furthermore, there was no relationship between vitamins B6, B12, or folate intake on global brain volume measures, indicating that VBM methods are more sensitive for detecting localized differences in gray matter volume than global measures.
These results are discussed in relation to a growing literature on vitamin intake on age-related neurocognitive deterioration.
|
03-24-2008, 11:35 AM
Vitamins B6 & B12 May Preserve the Aging Brain
Similar Threads
Linear Mode
