Stay Mentally Sharp: Avoid Age-Related Memory Decline

June 10, 2010

By NIS

You've known her for years, but you can't remember her name. You make a list of things to remember, then forget where you put it. You hear yourself saying, "I must be losing my mind," or "Maybe it's early Alzheimer's."

In many people, the brain fails while other organs still function.  Reportedly, up to half of all people eighty-five or older may suffer from Alzheimer's.[1]

As we age, neurons gradually die and the brain shrinks.  Some researchers believe that even by young adulthood most of us have lost one-half of our brain cell connections.  The effects of this loss may not be immediately noticeable.  However, by age 60, even healthy people notice they are less able to think,  remember, "multi-task," and learn.  Since brain loss happens slowly over many years, prevention in the early stages is very important.[2]

Here's the good news: some experts say you have a good chance of escaping this loss of mental ability with a brain longevity program that includes nutrition, supplements, exercise and stress reduction.[2]

New Memory-Boosting Formula

Two supplements proven to boost brain circulation are Ginkgo Biloba Extract and Vinpocetine.  Now, research shows Huperzine A greatly strengthens the effect. Huperzine A's action has been explained in The Journal of the American Medical Association.[3]  Furthermore, a recent meta-analysis verifies that Huperzine-A is a well-tolerated substance which could significantly improve brain function and activities of daily living.[4]

Huperzine A is extracted from a Chinese herb from the club moss family (Huperzia serrata).  Used in China for centuries to treat fever and inflammation, Huperzine A has been prescribed for dementia in the past decade to some 100,000 people.[3]

Huperzine-A Protects Vital Acetylcholine

Many researchers believe older adults lose memory because a decline in acetylcholine, the brain's primary neurotransmitter, makes it harder for brain cells to communicate.  Alzheimer's disease symptoms are primarily related to a decrease in available acetylcholine in the brain, as evidenced by biopsies showing a substantial loss of acetylcholine-producing brain cells.[5]  Even when brain cells produce acetylcholine, it can be destroyed when "recycling" enzymes cut up the neurotransmitter too quickly.

Huperzine-A slows the action of the enzyme, so nerves can "talk" to each other again.  This herbal extract is an ideal agent for this job.  It is a potent, long-lasting, reversible and selective inhibitor of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE).[3,6]    It is absorbed rapidly and eliminated at a moderate rate.[7]

Patients with Memory Disorders Benefited from Huperzine-A

In placebo-controlled, randomized, double blind studies, Huperzine-A significantly improved memory in patients with simple memory disorders as well as multi-infarct, senile dementia patients.[7,8]  In laboratory tests Huperzine A reduced neuronal cell death caused by toxic levels of excitatory neurotransmitters.[9]  This raises hopes that it may protect nerve cells against injury from stroke and epilepsy.

Protection Against Brain Cell Damage & Death

Huperzine A protects brain function through other mechanisms besides the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase.  Research, for instance, shows that Huperzine-A protects against the neurotoxic effects of excitatory neurotransmitter that over stimulate the neurons resulting in brain cell death.[9]

Huperzine-A also protects against the damage caused to brain mitochondria (organelles that produce cellular energy), reduces oxidative stress and has ant-inflammatory effects in the brain.[10,11,12]

A Better Alzheimer's Treatment

Huperzine-A has shown statistically significant improvement compared to placebo in Alzheimer's disease patients.[13]  The two drugs currently approved by the FDA for treating Alzheimer's are also AChE inhibitors, but Huperzine A has been found to work better.[14]

A substantial percentage of patients taking the FDA-approved drugs stop treatment because of severe side effects including nausea, vomiting, salivation, sweating, and tearing eyes. In addition, tacrine poisons the liver.[15]

In contrast, Huperzine A does not affect other body systems, so it has no significant side effects.[13,15]     One study demonstrated that Huperzine A's effects lasted nearly five hours, more than 14 times longer than the drug physostigmine.[16]  Research clearly shows that Huperzine-A can effectively improve memory and brain function and has good curative effects in those with organic brain diseases.[17]

Einstein's Brain:  The Secret to His Genius May Help Others

In fascinating research, the genius Albert Einstein was found to contain an unusually high number of glial cells as compared to neurons in an area of his brain associated with abstract imagery, memory, attention and self-awareness.[36]   Glial cells synthesize acetylcholine.[37]  Therefore, an abundance of acetylcholine in Einstein's brain may partially explain his genius.  Huperzine-A is a potent inhibitor of AChE, and thus helps to increase levels of acetylcholine in the brain.[16]

Ginkgo Biloba Improves Brain Function

While Huperzine A works primarily in the brain, Ginkgo biloba extract helps normalize circulation throughout the entire body. Ginkgo biloba extract is the most commonly prescribed medicine in France and Germany for improving blood flow to the brain, arms and legs.[18]  

It may help relieve memory loss, lack of alertness and depression.[18]   It especially improves brain function, increasing alpha-wave activity on a par with drugs that improve mental performance.[19]  In more than 50 double-blind clinical trials, both patients with chronic cerebral (brain) arterial insufficiency and peripheral arterial insufficiency have responded favorably to standardized Ginkgo biloba extract.[18]

Alzheimer's Patients Benefit from Ginkgo

The Journal of the American Medical Association reported Ginkgo's excellent results with Alzheimer's. In a year-long randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study of more than 200 patients, the ginkgo group "had twice as many patients whose mental performance improved and half as many whose social functioning worsened" compared with the placebo group.[19]

As an outstanding antioxidant, GBE neutralizes free radicals that can seriously damage cells and may contribute to Alzheimer's and other diseases of aging.[20]  By scavenging free radicals, GBE keeps vessel walls and cell membranes "slippery" and in good repair so mind-robbing clots don't develop.[17]

Ginkgo Extract Shields against Memory Loss, Stroke Damage

GBE stimulates better oxygen and glucose uptake[18] and people taking it report definite improvements in alertness, mood and vigilance.[22]   Even healthy young people have shown "significantly improved" scores on tests of memory.[23]

New research has shown that patients could protect the brain against the effects of a stroke by taking standardized Ginkgo biloba extract.  Animal research at the Johns Hopkins Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland, found that standardized Ginkgo biloba extract reduced stroke damage by 50%.  Researcher Dr. Sylvain Doré said: "Our results suggest that some element or elements in Ginkgo actually protect brain cells during stroke." [24]

Vinpocetine:  A Safeguard against Senility & Forgetfulness
 
Like Huperzine A, vinpocetine works primarily in the brain. It is derived from vincamine, found  in the seeds of common vinca, as well as the African plant voaconga.  Vinpocetine has been prescribed for over 20 years by European doctors for brain disorders and age-related forgetfulness.[25]  In fact, its action is so predictable that vinpocetine is used as a reference standard for brain research studying the effects of poor circulation and lack of oxygen.[26]

Preliminary studies in the 1980s showed healthy people experienced rapid memory improvements with vinpocetine.[26]  Vinpocetine dramatically, consistently and significantly improved brain function in people with senile dysfunction.[27]  In animal studies, vinpocetine turned back the clock, slowing aging by boosting the activity of biochemical messengers.[28]   In a recent study of chronic stroke patients, a single dose of vinpocetine was also found to significantly improve glucose transport through the blood brain barrier to the whole brain.[29]   No significant side effects or drug interactions have been noted.[30]

Help for Oxygen-Deprived Cells

Vinpocetine combats oxygen starvation (hypoxia), which often causes cell death.  Its antioxidant action also helps protect and possibly repair damaged nerve cells.[25]  Indeed, vinpocetine has been shown to possess antioxidant ability comparable to powerful Vitamin E.[26]

Vinpocetine also reduces a risk factor for stroke.[31]  In subjects who have already suffered a stroke, cerebral arteriosclerosis and transient ischemic attacks, vinpocetine has brought slight to marked improvement.[32]  Significant improvements in cerebral blood flow were seen in nearly all brain regions analyzed.[33]   According to a meta-analysis of international studies which evaluated  clinical efficacy, oral administration of vinpocetine is associated  with a significant improvement in brain function and performance, patients become livelier, and their daily activities are enhanced.[34]

Choosing a Good Product

Natural Huperzine-A is three times more potent than a synthetic mixture.[35]   A good, research-based formulation for boosting brain function and memory combines the following ingredients (per capsule):

The suggested dosage is one capsule taken twice daily with meals. The ingredients in the above formula have proven to be very safe, but this product is not recommended for use by pregnant or lactating women, or by those subject to tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) or abnormal blood pressure.

References:
  1. Gray-Davidson, Frena, Alzheimer's Disease: Frequently Asked Questions, Lincolnwood, IL: Lowell House, p 32, 1999.      
  2. Dharma Singh Khosla, MD, Brain Longevity, The Medical Breakthrough that Improves Your Mind and Memory, New York: Warner Books, pp 146-59, 1997.
  3. Old Chinese herbal medicine used for fever yields possible new Alzheimer Disease therapy, Skolnik A, JAMA, 277(10) p 776, 1997.
  4. Efficacy and safety of natural acetylcholinesterase inhibitor huperzine A in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: an updated meta-analysis, Wang BS, Wang H, Wei ZH, Song YY, Zhang L, Chen HZ, J Neural  Transm, 116(4):457-65, Apr 2009.
  5. A 30-Week Randomized Controlled Trial of High-Dose Tacrine in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease, Knapp MJ, PharmD, et al, JAMA, Vol 271, No. 13, pp 985-91, 1994.
  6. Structure of acetylcholinesterase complexed with the nootropic alkaloid, huperzine A, Raves ML, et al, Nat Struc Biol, Jan 4(1):57-63, 1997.
  7. Pharmacokinetics of tablet huperzine A in six volunteers, Qian BC and Wang M, et al, Chung Kuo Yao Li Hsueh Pao,16(5):396-98, 1995.
  8. Drug evaluation of huperzine A in the treatment of senile memory disorders, Zhang RW and Tang XC, et al, Chung Kuo Yao Li Hsueh Pao, 12(3):250-52, 1991.
  9. Pharmacology of Huperzine A, an Alkaloid Isolated from Huperzine Serrata, a Novel Cognition Enhancer with Dual Cholinergic and NMDA Action. Implications in Schizophrenia and Dementia, Chiu S, Lalone S, Goble L, Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Vol 4: Issue 1, Article 1, 2007.
  10. Huperzine A attenuates mitochondrial dysfunction after middle cerebral artery occlusion  in rats, Zheng CY, Zhang HY, Tang XC, J Neurosci Res, 86(11), pp 2432-40, Aug 15, 2008.
  11. Non-cholinergic effects of huperzine A: Beyond inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, Zhang HY, Yan H, Tang XC, Cell Mol Neurobiol, 28(2), pp 173-183, Feb 1, 2008.
  12. Potential therapeutic targets of huperzine A for Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, Zhang HY, et al, Chem Biol Interact, 175/1-3, pp 396-402, September 25, 2008.
  13. Efficacy of tablet huperzine-A on memory, cognition, and behavior in Alzheimer's disease, Xu SS, et al, Chung Kuo Yao Li Hsueh Pao, 16(5):391-95, 1995.
  14. Huperzine A, a novel promising acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, Cheng DH, Ren H, Tang XC, Neuroreport, 8(1):97-101, 1996.
  15. Hepatotoxic effects of tacrine administration in patients with Alzheimer's disease, Watkins PB, et al, JAMA, 271(13):992-98, 1994.
  16. Bagchi D and Barilla B, Huperzine A: Boost Your Brain Power, New Canaan, CT: Keats Publishing; 1998.
  17. Huperzine A for improving the memory and cognitive function in patients with organic brain diseases,  Ye Q, Wu RZ, Li HL, Chin J Clin Rehab, 9(36), pp 128-9, September 28, 2005.
  18. Murray Michael T, ND and Pizzorno, Joseph E Jr, ND, Textbook of Natural Medicine, 3rd Edition, Ginkgo biloba, St. Louis: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; pp 975-86, 2006.
  19. Central nervous system effects of Ginkgo biloba, a plant extract, Itil TM, et al, American Journal of Therapeutics, 3(1) pp 63-73, 1996.
  20. A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial of an extract of Ginkgo biloba for dementia, LeBars PL, et al, JAMA, 278(16):1327-32, 1997.
  21. The Complete German Commission E Monographs (Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines), Austin, TX: American Botanical Council, pp 136-38, 1998.
  22. Ginkgo Biloba Extract: A Long-Term Study of Chronic Cerebral Insufficiency in Geriatric Patients, Vorberg G, MD, Clinical Trials Journal, 22:149-57, 1985.
  23. Activity of Ginkgo biloba extract on short-term memory, Hindmarch I, Presse Med,15(31), 1592-4, 1986.
  24. Ginkgo biloba extract neuroprotective action is dependent on heme oxygenase 1 in ischemic reperfusion brain injury, Saleem S, Zhuang H, Biswal S, Christen Y, Doré S, Stroke, 39(12):3389-96, Dec 2008.
  25. Mechanism of action of vinpocetine, Kiss B, Karpati E, Acta Pharm Hung, 66:5, 213-24, Sept 1996.
  26. Psychopharmacological effects of vinpocetine in normal healthy volunteers, Subhan Z, Hindmarch I, Subhan A, Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 28(5):567-71, 1985.
  27. A double-blind placebo controlled evaluation of the safety and efficacy of vinpocetine in the treatment of patients with chronic vascular senile cerebral dysfunction, Balestreri R, Fontana L, Astengo F, J Am Geriatr Soc, 35 (5) 425-30, May 1987.
  28. Effect of Nootropic Drugs on Age-Dependent Changes in Transmitter Release, Schmidt J, et al, Drug  Dev Res, 14:293-95, 1988.
  29. Cerebral effects of a single dose of intravenous vinpocetine in chronic stroke patients: A PET study, Szakall S, et al, Journal of Neuroimaging, 8(4) pp 197-204, 1998.
  30. Dean, Ward, MD, Smart Drugs & Nutrients, Santa Cruz, CA: B&J Publications, pp 71-75, 1990.
  31. Effect of vinpocetine on red blood cell deformability in vivo measured by a new centrifugation method, Hayakawa M, Arzneimittelforschung, 42(3):281-3, Mar 1992.
  32. Comparison of vinpocetine with ifenprodil tartrate and dihydroergotoxine mesylate treatment and results of long-term treatment with vinpocetine, Otomo E, Atarashi J, Araki G, et al, Curr Ther Res Clin Exp, 37/5, 811-21, 1985.
  33. Beneficial Effect of Vinpocetine on Cerebral Blood Flow, Measured with 1231-IMP SPECT, and Clinical Symptoms in Patients with Chronic Cerebral Infarction, Yutaka N, et al, Japanese Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 25(12), pp 2977-84, 1997.
  34. The Role of Vinpocetine in the Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases on the Base of Human Studies, Bagoly E, Feher G, Szapary L, Hungarian Medical Journal, 1(4), pp 1788-6139, November 2007.
  35. Comparison of the effects of natural and synthetic huperzine-A on rat brain cholinergic function in vitro and in vivo, Tang XC, Kindel GH, Kozikowski AP, et al, J Ethnopharmacol, Dec; 44(3): 147-55, 1994.
  36. On the brain of a scientist: Albert Einstein, Diamond MC, Scheibel AB, Murphy GM Jr, Harvey T, Exp Neurol, Apr; 88(1):198-204, 1985.
  37. Mammalian glial cells in culture synthesize acetylcholine, Wessler I, et al, Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol, 356(5): 694-7, Nov 1997.
Notice: The information herein is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat or prevent any disease or endorse any brand or product. For medical advice consult a health care professional. 
 
Copyright ©2010 by Nutrition Information Services

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