Department of Psychology, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Nutrients. 2018 Apr 7;10(4):458. doi: 10.3390/nu10040458.
Lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) are two xanthophyll carotenoids that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Previous work has demonstrated their importance for eye health and preventing diseases such as age-related macular degeneration. An emerging literature base has also demonstrated the importance of L and Z in cognition, neural structure, and neural efficiency. The present study aimed to better understand the mechanisms by which L and Z relate to cognition, in particular, visual-spatial processing and decision-making in older adults. We hypothesized that markers of higher levels of L and Z would be associated with better neural efficiency during a visual-spatial processing task. L and Z were assessed via standard measurement of blood serum and retinal concentrations. Visual-spatial processing and decision-making were assessed via a judgment of line orientation task (JLO) completed during a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan. The results demonstrated that individuals with higher concentrations of L and Z showed a decreased blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal during task performance (i.e., "neural efficiency") in key areas associated with visual-spatial perception, processing, decision-making, and motor coordination, including the lateral occipital cortex, occipital pole, superior and middle temporal gyri, superior parietal lobule, superior and middle frontal gyri, and pre- and post-central gyri. To our knowledge, this is the first investigation of the relationship of L and Z to visual-spatial processing at a neural level using in vivo methodology. Our findings suggest that L and Z may impact brain health and cognition in older adults by enhancing neurobiological efficiency in a variety of regions that support visual perception and decision-making.
叶黄素 (L) 和玉米黄质 (Z) 是两种具有抗氧化和抗炎特性的叶黄素类胡萝卜素。先前的工作已经证明了它们对眼睛健康的重要性，以及预防年龄相关性黄斑变性等疾病的重要性。一个新兴的文献基础也证明了 L 和 Z 在认知、神经结构和神经效率方面的重要性。本研究旨在更好地了解 L 和 Z 与认知相关的机制，特别是老年人的视觉空间处理和决策。我们假设，更高水平的 L 和 Z 的标志物将与在视觉空间处理任务期间更好的神经效率相关。L 和 Z 通过血清和视网膜浓度的标准测量来评估。视觉空间处理和决策通过在功能磁共振成像 (fMRI) 扫描期间完成的直线定向判断任务 (JLO) 来评估。结果表明，L 和 Z 浓度较高的个体在任务表现期间（即“神经效率”）关键与视觉空间感知、处理、决策和运动协调相关的区域的血氧水平依赖 (BOLD) 信号降低，包括外侧枕叶皮层、枕极、颞上和中回、顶叶上回、额上和中回以及额前和中央后回。据我们所知，这是首次使用体内方法研究 L 和 Z 与视觉空间处理的神经水平关系。我们的发现表明，L 和 Z 可能通过增强支持视觉感知和决策的各种区域的神经生物学效率，从而影响老年人的大脑健康和认知。
