Scott Tammy M, Peter Inga, Tucker Katherine L, Arsenault Lisa, Bergethon Peter, Bhadelia Rafeeque, Buell Jennifer, Collins Lauren, Dashe John F, Griffith John, Hibberd Patricia, Leins Drew, Liu Timothy, Ordovas Jose M, Patz Samuel, Price Lori Lyn, Qiu Wei Qiao, Sarnak Mark, Selhub Jacob, Smaldone Lauren, Wagner Carey, Wang Lixia, Weiner Daniel, Yee Jacqueline, Rosenberg Irwin, Folstein Marshal
Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006 Jun;21(6):519-28. doi: 10.1002/gps.1503.
Micronutrient status can affect cognitive function in the elderly; however, there is much to learn about the precise effects. Understanding mediating factors by which micronutrient status affects cognitive function would contribute to elders' quality of life and their ability to remain in the home.
The Nutrition, Aging, and Memory in Elders (NAME) Study is designed to advance the current level of knowledge by investigating potential mediating factors by which micronutrient status contributes to cognitive impairment and central nervous system abnormalities in the elderly. NAME targets homebound elders because they are understudied and particularly at risk for poor nutritional status.
Subjects are community-based elders aged 60 and older, recruited through area Aging Services Access Points. The NAME core data include demographics; neuropsychological testing and activities of daily living measures; food frequency, health and behavioral questionnaires; anthropometrics; gene status; plasma micronutrients, homocysteine, and other blood determinants. A neurological examination, psychiatric examination, and brain MRI and volumetric measurements are obtained from a sub-sample.
Preliminary data from first 300 subjects are reported. These data show that the NAME protocol is feasible and that the enrolled subjects are racially diverse, at-risk, and had similar basic demographics to the population from which they were drawn.
The goal of the NAME study is to evaluate novel relationships between nutritional factors and cognitive impairment. These data may provide important information on potential new therapeutic strategies and supplementation standards for the elderly to maintain cognitive function and potentially reduce the public health costs of dementia.
微量营养素状况会影响老年人的认知功能；然而，关于其确切影响仍有许多有待了解之处。了解微量营养素状况影响认知功能的中介因素将有助于提高老年人的生活质量及其居家生活能力。
老年人营养、衰老与记忆（NAME）研究旨在通过调查微量营养素状况导致老年人认知障碍和中枢神经系统异常的潜在中介因素，提升当前的知识水平。NAME研究的对象是居家养老的老年人，因为他们尚未得到充分研究，且营养状况不佳的风险尤其高。
研究对象为通过地区老龄服务接入点招募的60岁及以上的社区老年人。NAME研究的核心数据包括人口统计学信息；神经心理学测试和日常生活活动测量；食物频率、健康和行为问卷；人体测量学数据；基因状况；血浆微量营养素、同型半胱氨酸及其他血液指标。对一个子样本进行神经学检查、精神病学检查以及脑部MRI和容积测量。
报告了前300名受试者的初步数据。这些数据表明NAME研究方案是可行的，且入组受试者在种族上具有多样性，处于风险之中，其基本人口统计学特征与抽样人群相似。
NAME研究的目标是评估营养因素与认知障碍之间的新关系。这些数据可能为维持老年人认知功能并可能降低痴呆症公共卫生成本的潜在新治疗策略和补充标准提供重要信息。
