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. 2020 Sep 29;12(18):18660-18675.
doi: 10.18632/aging.103951. Epub 2020 Sep 29.

β-lactolin increases cerebral blood flow in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial

Yasuhisa Ano  1 , Keiko Kobayashi  1 , Mamoru Hanyuda  2 , Ryuta Kawashima  3   4
Affiliations

β-lactolin increases cerebral blood flow in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial

Yasuhisa Ano et al. Aging (Albany NY). .

Abstract

The number of elderly individuals with age-related cognitive decline or dementia is rapidly increasing. Dairy product consumption, including β-lactolin, is beneficial for their cognitive function. The underlying mechanism of β-lactolin's effects on human brain activity is yet to be investigated. We examined the β-lactolin effects on human cerebral blood flow (CBF) using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in a placebo-controlled randomized double-blind study, which reported according to the CONSORT guidelines. Fifty healthy participants (aged 45-60 years) were randomly allocated into the β-lactolin or the placebo group (n = 25 each) and supplemented for 6 weeks. During the 6th week, oxy-hemoglobin during the working memory tasks was measured using 34-channels (CHs) NIRS. The changes of oxy-hemoglobin, which represents the CBF, in CH 23 located at the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during the spatial working memory task showed higher statistical significance (false discovery rate (q) = 0.045) in the β-lactolin than in the placebo group. The oxy-Hb changes in CH23 have a co-relationship with the working memory task reaction time. This clinical trial showed an increase in the CBF in the left DLPFC area during the 6-week β-lactolin supplementation. This study contributes to elucidating the underlying mechanisms of β-lactolin on cognitive performance.

Keywords: cerebral blood flow; dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS); β-lactolin; β-lactopeptide.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: K.K. and Y.A. are employees of Kirin Holdings Company, Ltd., the study sponsor. All authors have declared that they have no other disclosures. This study was funded by the Kirin Holdings Company, Ltd. The funder designed this study and supplied the test tablets and placebo. The funder, however, had no role in data collection or analysis. The manuscript was prepared by members of the funder and the funder decided to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CONSORT diagram. We included 50 of the 71 screened participants in this study; they were randomly allocated to the placebo (n = 25) and β-lactolin (n = 25) groups. One participant dropped out and, therefore, the data of 25 and 24 participants in the placebo and β-lactolin groups were analyzed, respectively.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes of the oxy-Hb levels during spatial working memory in the left DLPFC. Oxy-Hb measurement at weeks 0 and 6 and changes between weeks 0 and 6 in CH23 during the spatial working memory task. Data are presented as means and ± standard errors for the placebo (n = 25) and the β-lactolin group (n = 24). Group differences were identified using ANOVA and FDR correlation. A value q < 0.05 considered statistically significant. ANOVA, analysis of variance; CH, channel; Hb, hemoglobin; FDR, false discovery rate; DLPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
Figure 3
Figure 3
Topographic images of oxy-Hb during spatial working memory. (A and B) The topographic maps during the spatial working memory task for oxy-Hb reveal the distribution of rCBF at week 6 of the intervention for both groups (placebo and β-lactolin, respectively). Hb, hemoglobin; rCBF, regional cerebral blood flow.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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