Put the body on offense.
September 07, 2010: Spring DAN! Conference…
2005-05-06
Study Background and Rationale:
This research study focuses on how the nutrient choline is needed for normal development of brain. Choline is an essential nutrient that is found in foods such as milk and eggs. In animal models, the stem cells that form the brain's memory center (hippocampus) multiply less and die at a faster rate when pregnant mothers eat less choline, and multiply more when mothers are fed more choline. Thus, the memory area's structure is directly influenced by whether choline was available during a specific critical period in development. Moreover, pups born of mothers who had more choline have permanently improved memory function. Specifically, prenatal choline supplementation in rats facilitates cognitive function and visuospatial memory, whereas choline deficiency impairs divided attention and accelerates the age-related decline in temporal processing.
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