Homocysteine and cognitive function.

Abstract

The prevention and treatment of age-related cognitive impairment and dementia is one of the greatest and most elusive challenges of our time. The prevalence of dementia increases exponentially with age, as does the prevalence of those with micronutrient deficiency. Several studies have shown that elevated homocysteine is correlated with cognitive decline and with cerebral atrophy and that it predicts the subsequent development of dementia in cognitively intact middle-aged and elderly individuals. If elevated homocysteine promotes cognitive dysfunction, then lowering homocysteine by means of B-vitamin supplementation may protect cognitive function by arresting or slowing the disease process.