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. 2017 Dec;39(5-6):571-584.
doi: 10.1007/s11357-017-9998-2. Epub 2017 Oct 18.

Chronic curcumin treatment improves spatial working memory but not recognition memory in middle-aged rhesus monkeys

Tara L Moore  1   2 , Bethany Bowley  3 , Penny Shultz  3 , Samantha Calderazzo  3 , Eli Shobin  3   4 , Ronald J Killiany  3   5 , Douglas L Rosene  3   6 , Mark B Moss  3   5   6
Affiliations

Chronic curcumin treatment improves spatial working memory but not recognition memory in middle-aged rhesus monkeys

Tara L Moore et al. Geroscience. 2017 Dec.

Abstract

Studies of both humans and non-human primates have demonstrated that aging is typically characterized by a decline in cognition that can occur as early as the fifth decade of life. Age-related changes in working memory are particularly evident and mediated, in part, by the prefrontal cortex, an area known to evidence age-related changes in myelin that is attributed to inflammation. In recent years, several nutraceuticals, including curcumin, by virtue of their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, have received considerable attention as potential treatments for age-related cognitive decline and inflammation. Accordingly, we assessed for the first time in a non-human primate model of normal aging the efficacy of dietary intervention using the natural phenol curcumin to ameliorate the effects of aging on spatial working and recognition memory. Results revealed that monkeys receiving daily administration of curcumin over 14-18 months demonstrated a greater improvement in performance on repeated administration of a task of spatial working memory compared to monkeys that received a control substance.

Keywords: Aging; Cognition; Curcumin; Memory; Rhesus monkey.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A photograph of the testing board used for delayed non-matching to sample. Scale bar = 5.0 cm
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A flow chart showing the sequence of events in the present study.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
A photograph of the testing board used for delayed recognition span task. Scale bar = 5.0 cm
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Graph of mean total span on the delayed recognition span task (spatial) for the curcumin and control groups in round 1 and round 2 of testing. Error bars=standard error
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Graph of the mean difference in total span between round 1 and round 2 of testing for the delayed recognition span task (spatial) for the subjects in the curcumin and control groups. Error bars=standard error. *p < 0.048
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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