Homocysteine & The Brain (2011)
A study conducted by UCLA School of Medicine researchers of 732 elderly people given MRI brain scans finds that those with raised homocysteine levels have greater brain shrinkage regardless of age and diagnosis. Among those with cognitive impairment, the greater the homocysteine level the greater was the brain atrophy. The authors state ‘ Vitamin B supplements may help prevent homocysteine-related atrophy in Alzheimer’s disease by possibly reducing homocysteine levels’.
Rajagopalan P, Hua X, Toga AW, Jack CR Jr, Weiner MW, Thompson PM. Homocysteine effects on brain volumes mapped in 732 elderly individuals. Neuroreport, 22(8):391-5, 2011.