The MIND Diet, Brain Transcriptomic Alterations, and Dementia

Overview

Journal Alzheimers Dement

Specialties Neurology
Psychiatry

Date 2024 Aug 12

PMID 39129336

Authors

Jun Li

Ana W Capuano

Puja Agarwal

Zoe Arvanitakis

Yanling Wang

Philip L De Jager

Julie A Schneider

Shinya Tasaki

Katia de Paiva Lopes

Frank B Hu

David A Bennett

Liming Liang

Francine Grodstein

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Introduction: Dietary patterns are associated with dementia risk, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown.

Methods: We used RNA sequencing data from post mortem prefrontal cortex tissue and annual cognitive evaluations from 1204 participants in the Religious Orders Study and Memory and Aging Project. We identified a transcriptomic profile correlated with the MIND diet (Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) among 482 individuals who completed ante mortem food frequency questionnaires; and examined its associations with cognitive health in the remaining 722 participants.

Results: We identified a transcriptomic profile, consisting of 50 genes, correlated with the MIND diet score (p = 0.001). Each standard deviation increase in the transcriptomic profile score was associated with a slower annual rate of decline in global cognition (β = 0.011, p = 0.003) and lower odds of dementia (odds ratio = 0.76, p = 0.0002). Expressions of several genes (including TCIM and IGSF5) appeared to mediate the association between MIND diet and dementia.

Discussion: A brain transcriptomic profile for healthy diets revealed novel genes potentially associated with cognitive health.

Highlights: Why healthy dietary patterns are associated with lower dementia risk are unknown. We integrated dietary, brain transcriptomic, and cognitive data in older adults. Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet intake is correlated with a specific brain transcriptomic profile. This brain transcriptomic profile score is associated with better cognitive health. More data are needed to elucidate the causality and functionality of identified genes.

Citing Articles

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Biswas R, Capuano A, Mehta R, Bennett D, Arvanitakis Z Alzheimers Dement. 2025; 21(2):e14471.

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The ROSMAP project: aging and neurodegenerative diseases through omic sciences.

Perez-Gonzalez A, Garcia-Kroepfly A, Perez-Fuentes K, Garcia-Reyes R, Solis-Roldan F, Alba-Gonzalez J Front Neuroinform. 2024; 18:1443865.

PMID: 39351424 PMC: 11439699. DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2024.1443865.

The MIND diet, brain transcriptomic alterations, and dementia.

Li J, Capuano A, Agarwal P, Arvanitakis Z, Wang Y, De Jager P Alzheimers Dement. 2024; 20(9):5996-6007.

PMID: 39129336 PMC: 11497672. DOI: 10.1002/alz.14062.

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