In a new study, elderly laboratory animals that ate a diet rich in the berry and grape compound pterostilbene showed a reversal of some of the negative effects of aging on brain function and behavioral performance.



The researchers wanted to determine if pterostilbene would be effective in reversing the effects of aging on mature rats. They fed older rats either a control diet, or a diet adjusted to include either low or high concentrations of pterostilbene.

The results indicated that in aging rats, pterostilbene was effective in reversing cognitive decline, and that improved working memory was linked to pterostilbene levels in the hippocampus region of the brain.

Sources:

Science Daily December 28, 2008
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081228194218.htm

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2008, 56 (22), pp 10544–10551
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf802279h?prevSearch=pterostilbene&searchHistoryKey