Surendran Geyan, Saye Jake, Binti Mohd Jalil Syahira, Spreadborough Jack, Duong Kyle, Shatwan Israa M, Lilley Dash, Heinrich Michael, Dodd Georgina F, Surendran Shelini
Beyond Alcohol Ltd., London, United Kingdom.
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom.
Front Nutr. 2025 Apr 10;12:1405796. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1405796. eCollection 2025.
Animal studies have suggested that Lion's Mane mushroom [ (Bull.) Pers.] can enhance cognitive function and mood due to its bioactive metabolites, including erinacines and hericenones. However, despite being an ingredient used both culinarily and therapeutically in the East, and more and more commonly in the West, limited research has focused on the immediate effects of on the cognitive function and mood of healthy young adults.
In an acute randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, cross-over intervention study, we investigated the potential benefits of an acute dose of fruiting body extract (3g of 10:1 extract) on cognitive performance and mood compared to a placebo. Eighteen healthy participants aged 18 to 35 years took part in the study. At baseline and 90 minutes post-consumption of the interventions, cognitive and mood assessments were administered to measure various cognitive abilities such as executive function, working memory, psychomotor skills, attention and information processing speed as well as positive and negative affect.
The results showed no significant effect of the fruiting body extract for composite measures of global cognitive function and mood. However, when analysing individual tests, participants exhibited improved performance on the pegboard test at 90 minutes following a single dose of .
In conclusion, acute consumption of fruiting body did not demonstrate a significant overall improvement in cognitive performance and mood compared to the placebo and any benefits may be task or domain specific. Further investigations should investigate the effects of chronic supplementation of fruiting body on cognition and mood in healthy younger adults, as well as establish optimal dosage and the time to peak concentration of bioactives in the human brain. Additionally, future research should aim to further elucidate potential mechanisms of action to explain potential brain region and cognitive domain specific effects, such as possible regional increases in cerebral blood flow following consumption of fruiting bodies. It must also be noted that typically only Lion's mane fruiting bodies are consumed culinarily, where up to 300g of fresh fruiting body are often consumed in the form of mushroom steaks.
动物研究表明，猴头菇[（ Bull.）Pers.]因其生物活性代谢产物，包括齿孔酸和猴头菌素，可增强认知功能和改善情绪。然而，尽管它在东方既是烹饪食材又是治疗药物，在西方也越来越常用，但针对其对健康年轻成年人认知功能和情绪的即时影响的研究却很有限。
在一项急性随机、安慰剂对照、双盲、交叉干预研究中，我们研究了一剂猴头子实体提取物（3克10:1提取物）与安慰剂相比，对认知表现和情绪的潜在益处。18名年龄在18至35岁的健康参与者参与了该研究。在基线以及摄入干预措施后90分钟，进行认知和情绪评估，以测量各种认知能力，如执行功能、工作记忆、心理运动技能、注意力和信息处理速度，以及积极和消极情绪。
结果显示，猴头子实体提取物对整体认知功能和情绪的综合测量没有显著影响。然而，在分析个别测试时，参与者在单次服用猴头菇后90分钟的钉板测试中表现有所改善。
总之，与安慰剂相比，急性食用猴头子实体并未在认知表现和情绪方面显示出显著的总体改善，任何益处可能是特定任务或领域相关的。进一步的研究应调查长期补充猴头子实体对健康年轻成年人认知和情绪的影响，以及确定最佳剂量和人脑中生物活性物质达到峰值浓度的时间。此外，未来的研究应旨在进一步阐明潜在的作用机制，以解释潜在的脑区和认知领域特异性影响，例如食用猴头子实体后可能出现的局部脑血流量增加。还必须指出的是，通常烹饪时只食用猴头菇的子实体，经常以蘑菇牛排的形式食用多达300克的新鲜子实体。
