A
central aim of research in the psychological and brain sciences is to
establish therapeutic interventions to promote healthy brain aging.
Accumulating evidence indicates that diet and the many bioactive
substances present in food are reasonable interventions to examine for
dementia prevention. However, interdisciplinary research that applies methods from
nutritional epidemiology and network
neuroscience to investigate the role of
nutrition
in shaping functional brain network efficiency remains to be conducted.
The present study therefore sought to combine methods across
disciplines, applying nutrient biomarker pattern (NBP) analysis to
capture the effects of plasma nutrients in combination and to examine
their collective influence on measures of functional brain network
efficiency (small-world propensity). We examined the contribution of
NBPs to multiple indices of cognition and brain health in non-demented
elders (
n = 116),
investigating performance on measures of general intelligence, executive
function, and memory, and resting-state fMRI measures of brain network
efficiency within seven intrinsic connectivity networks. Statistical
moderation investigated whether NBPs influenced network efficiency and
cognitive outcomes. The results revealed five NBPs that were associated
with enhanced cognitive performance, including biomarker patterns high
in plasma: (1) ω-3 and
ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), (2)
lycopene, (3) ω-3 PUFAs, (4)
carotenoids, and (5)
vitamins B (riboflavin,
folate,
B12) and D. Furthermore,
three NBPs were associated with enhanced
functional brain network efficiency, including biomarker patterns high
in plasma: (1) ω-6 PUFAs, (2) ω-3 PUFAs, and (3)
carotene. Finally, ω-3 PUFAs moderated the fronto-parietal network and general intelligence, while ω-6 PUFAs and lycopene moderated the
dorsal attention network
and executive function. In sum, NBPs account for a significant
proportion of variance in measures of cognitive performance and
functional brain network efficiency. The results motivate a
multidisciplinary approach that applies methods from nutritional
epidemiology (NBP analysis) and cognitive neuroscience (functional brain
network efficiency) to characterize the impact of nutrition on human
health, aging, and disease.
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