Herbal Bilberry Protects the Neurons Against Memory Impairment in Vivo

By Kyle J. Norton



Memory impairment is a condition of partial or complete loss of memory, depending on the quality of the neuron that has been affected.

Memory impairment other than the physical impact is a progressive disease that can lead to permanent loss of memory due to the gradual loss of neurons in the brain.

The most common risk factors associated with memory loss in the general population are long-term use of certain medication, excessive alcohol drinking, smoking, drug abuse, depression, nutrient deficiency, stroke, and daily stress.

In elderly or aging-induced memory loss are associated with the deterioration of a region of the brain involved in the formation and retrieval of memories, the hippocampus, and the reduced hormones and protein that protect and repair brain cells and stimulate neural growth.

However, some researchers suggested the rise of memory impairment in the elderly probably is correlated to the promotion of the Western diet over the past few decades.

Dr. Scott E. Kanoski, the lead scientist in the review the risk cognitive impairment in the Western diet consumption wrote, "Intake of saturated fats and simple carbohydrates, two of the primary components of a modern Western diet, is linked with the development of obesity and Alzheimer's Disease".

And, "Western diet intake is associated with cognitive impairment, with a specific emphasis on learning and memory functions that are dependent on the integrity of the hippocampus".

The results clearly stated if you are Western diet follower, you are at a higher risk of memory impairment compared to healthy diet individuals.

Bilberry is a species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium, belonging to the family Ericaceae, native to Northern Europe.

The plant berry has been used as herbs in traditional medicine for the treatment of acute and chronic diarrhea, gastritis, gastric ulcer, and duodenal ulcer, enterocolitis, ulcerative colitis, anemia, cystitis, kidney disease, and psoriasis, diabetes, etc.

With an aim to find a potential ingredient for the treatment of memory impairment researchers investigated the effects of Vaccinium uliginosum L. (bilberry) on the learning and memory impairments induced by amyloid-β protein (AβP) 1-42.

The evaluation included selected ICR Swiss mice divided randomly into 4 groups: the control (Aβ40-1A), control with 5% bilberry group (Aβ40-1B), amyloid β protein 1-42 treated group (Aβ1-42A), and Aβ1-42 with 5% bilberry group (Aβ1-42B).

According to the tested assays, bilberry added groups showed to decrease the finding time of hidden platform, compared to those of escape latencies of AβP to that of Aβ40-1.

Furthermore, bilberry added Aβ1-42B group also showed a significant (P<0.05) increase of probe crossing frequency compared to Aβ1-42A. 

In the passive avoidance test, bilberry significantly (P<0.05) increased the time of staying in the lighted area compared to AD control.

These results suggested that bilberry improved memory and learning capability in chemically induced Alzheimer's disease in experimental animal models.

In the incidence of degenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD), rats consumed approximately 3.2 mg kg(-1)day (oral), of the anthocyanins significantly enhanced short-term memory, but not long-term memory in the inhibitory avoidance task.

Moreover, injection of approximately 3.2 mg kg(-1)day (oral), of the anthocyanins also induced an increase in the number of crossings in the first exposure to the open field.

However, in the comparison of the radial maze and elevated plus-maze, lyophilized berries (blueberry, bilberry) improved working memory in the radial maze, with significant differences observed during sessions 1-2 and 4, compared to no effects in the elevated plus-maze task.

The findings strongly indicated the positive effects of administration of lyophilized Vaccinium berries (blueberry, bilberry) and anthocyanin in the prevention of memory deficits related to AD.

Taken altogether, bilberry processed abundantly bioactive compound anthocyanin may be considered a functional remedy for the prevention and treatment of memory impairment, pending to the validation of larger sample size and multicenter human study.

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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

References
(1) Vaccinium uliginosum L. Improves Amyloid β Protein-Induced Learning and Memory Impairment in Alzheimer's Disease in Mice by Choi YH1, Kwon HS1, Shin SG1, Chung CK. (PubMed)
(2) Effect of lyophilised Vaccinium berries on memory, anxiety and locomotion in adult rats by Ramirez MR1, Izquierdo I, do Carmo Bassols Raseira M, Zuanazzi JA, Barros D, Henriques AT. (PubMed)
(3) Western Diet Consumption and Cognitive Impairment: Links to Hippocampal Dysfunction and Obesity by Scott E. Kanoski1 and Terry L. Davidson. (PMC)