Kim Seungho, Kim Ji-Hye, Lee Hansol, Jang Sung Ho, Noeske Ralph, Choi Changho, Chang Yongmin, Choi Youn-Hee
Department of Medical and Biological Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Department of Preventive Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Front Syst Neurosci. 2024 Nov 27;18:1489919. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2024.1489919. eCollection 2024.
Chewing has been reported to enhance cognitive function through the increase in cerebral blood flow. However, the mechanisms linking cerebral blood flow increase to metabolic changes in the brain affecting cognition remain unclear. We hypothesized that glutathione (GSH) plays a pivotal role in these mechanisms. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate changes in brain GSH levels following chewing and their association with cognitive function in healthy young adults.
A total of 52 university students were recruited, and the Korean version of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status was used for the neurocognitive evaluations. Brain GSH levels following chewing gum or wood blocks were measured using MEscher-GArwood Point RESolved Spectroscopy (MEGA-PRESS) sequence, and their relevance to neurocognitive evaluation results was investigated.
Chewing significantly increased brain GSH concentration, particularly in the wood-chewing group compared to the gum-chewing group, as observed in the anterior cingulate cortex. Furthermore, the rise in GSH concentration in the wood-chewing group was positively correlated with memory function.
Chewing moderately hard material elevates brain antioxidant levels such as GSH, potentially influencing cognitive function.
据报道，咀嚼可通过增加脑血流量来增强认知功能。然而，脑血流量增加与影响认知的大脑代谢变化之间的联系机制仍不清楚。我们假设谷胱甘肽（GSH）在这些机制中起关键作用。因此，本研究旨在调查健康年轻成年人咀嚼后大脑GSH水平的变化及其与认知功能的关系。
共招募了52名大学生，并使用韩国版的可重复神经心理状态评估量表进行神经认知评估。使用Mescher-Garwood点分辨光谱（MEGA-PRESS）序列测量咀嚼口香糖或木块后大脑GSH水平，并研究其与神经认知评估结果的相关性。
咀嚼显著增加了大脑GSH浓度，特别是在前扣带回皮层中，与咀嚼口香糖组相比，咀嚼木块组更为明显。此外，咀嚼木块组中GSH浓度的升高与记忆功能呈正相关。
咀嚼适度坚硬的物质可提高大脑抗氧化剂水平，如GSH，可能会影响认知功能。
