According to new research published by a faculty member in the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, a compound found in common foods such as red grapes and peanuts may help prevent age-related decline in memory.
Researchers at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, have been studying the potential benefit of resveratrol, an antioxidant that is found in the skin of red grapes, as well as in red wine, peanuts and some berries.
Resveratrol has been widely touted for its potential to prevent heart disease, but researchers believe it also has positive effects on the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is critical to functions such as memory, learning and mood.
In a study published in the online edition of Scientific Reports on January 28, Researchers at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine reported that treatment with resveratrol had apparent benefits in terms of learning, memory and mood function in aged rats.
The results of the study indicated that for the control rats who did not receive resveratrol, spatial learning ability was largely maintained but ability to make new spatial memories significantly declined between 22 and 25 months. By contrast, both spatial learning and memory improved in the resveratrol-treated rats. The study provides novel evidence that resveratrol treatment in late middle age can help improve memory and mood function in old age.
