The Macular Carotenoids are Associated with Cognitive Function in Preadolescent Children

Abstract

The macular carotenoids lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) are obtained via diet and accumulate in the central retina where they are referred to as macular pigment. The density of this biomarker (macular pigment optical density; MPOD) has been positively correlated with cognitive functioning via measures of global cognition, processing speed, and visual-spatial abilities, among others. Although improvements in cognitive function have been found in adults, much less is known about how L and Z intake may support or improve cognitive functioning during periods of rapid developmental change, such as childhood and pre-adolescence. This study examined the relationship between MPOD and cognitive functioning in 51 7–13-year-old children (51% female). MPOD was measured using heterochromatic flicker photometry (HFP) optimized for this age group. Cognitive function was assessed using the Woodcock-Johnson III (composite standard scores were obtained for Brief Intellectual Ability, Verbal Ability, Cognitive Efficiency, Processing Speed, and Executive Processes). In this sample, MPOD was significantly related to Executive Processes, r(47) = 0.288, p < 0.05, and Brief Intellectual Ability, r(47) = 0.268, p < 0.05. The relationship to Cognitive Efficiency was positive and trending but not significant, r(49) = 0.206, p = 0.074. In general, these data are consistent with those of adults showing a link between higher carotenoid status and improved cognitive functioning.

Visual Function and Macular Carotenoid Changes in Eyes with Retinal Drusen—An Open Label Randomized Controlled Trial to Compare a Micronized Lipid-Based Carotenoid Liquid Supplementation and AREDS-2 Formula

“…In other words, getting a more "redox homeostasis" could lead to a better visual function along with other neural processes [71]. This also has support with numerous studies showing the increased cognitive role of carotenoids [61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68].…”

“…Whereas the present study was a six-month supplementation trial, prior studies that showed a significant increase in measured MPOD in early macular degeneration needed a 12 month [25,45,48,57,59,60] or 24 month [57] intake of oral supplements to show a measurable increase in MPOD. MPOD is a useful biomarker and its levels correlate with retinal health [23][24][25]42,45,48,52,57,59,60] and various cognitive functions [61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68]. Further, the levels of carotenoids in brain, especially those found in the occipital lobe [69], correlate with macular carotenoid levels [70].…”

“…Although it is commonly used clinically, it is prone to error due to its subjective nature. Heterochromatic flicker photometry due to its small footprint is perhaps most common clinical device utilized to measure MPOD [4,8,10,15,16,26,41,44,45,48,66,67,72,73]. However, objective techniques such as dual-wavelength autofluorescence [74] or macular pigment reflectometry [21,75,76] could decrease variability in results, given that the participants in this study were clinical patients and not trained participants in a psychophysical study.…”

Changing Form and Function through Carotenoids and Synthetic Biology

“…Plant carotenoids and their derivatives are also important to other species that consume plants. Certain carotenoids are enzymatically converted into visual pigments and signals needed to control development while other carotenoids and their derivatives (apocarotenoids) contribute to eye health, cardiovascular health, function of the immune system, cognitive function, antioxidant activity, general fitness and interspecies communication (Thomas et al, 2014;Murillo and Fernandez, 2016;Rivera-Madrid et al, 2016;de Carvalho and Caramujo, 2017;Rubin et al, 2017;Toews et al, 2017;Zhao and Nabity, 2017;Eggersdorfer and Wyss, 2018;Harrison and Quadro, 2018;Saint et al, 2018). However, carotenoids in plants are far more than colorful pigments.…”

Dietary Carotenoids Lutein and Zeaxanthin Change Brain Activation in Older Adult Participants: A Randomized, Double‐Masked, Placebo‐Controlled Trial

“…The brain, like the retina, actively accumulates xanthophylls, especially, L . A number of recent studies have shown that lutein status (i.e., measured in serum/diet and directly in retina, MP) correlates with a number of centrally‐mediated functions including numerous aspects of cognition . In addition, recent imaging studies also suggest a relationship between lutein and CNS functioning …”