The Association between Individual Food Groups, Limbic System White Matter Tracts, and Episodic Memory: Initial Data from the Aiginition Longitudinal Biomarker Investigation of Neurodegeneration (ALBION) Study

Abstract

(1) Background: Many studies link food intake with clinical cognitive outcomes, but evidence for brain biomarkers, such as memory-related limbic white matter (WM) tracts, is limited. We examined the association between food groups, limbic WM tracts integrity, and memory performance in community-dwelling individuals. (2) Methods: We included 117 non-demented individuals (ALBION study). Verbal and visual episodic memory tests were administered, and a composite z-score was calculated. Diffusion tensor imaging tractography was applied for limbic WM tracts (fornix-FX, cingulum bundle-CB, uncinate fasciculus-UF, hippocampal perforant pathway zone-hPPZ). Food intake was evaluated through four 24-h recalls. We applied linear regression models adjusted for demographics and energy intake. (3) Results: We found significant associations between (a) higher low-to-moderate alcohol intake and higher FX fractional anisotropy (FA), (b) higher full-fat dairy intake and lower hPPZ FA, and (c) higher red meat and cold cuts intake and lower hPPZ FA. None of the food groups was associated with memory performance. (4) Conclusions: Despite non-significant associations between food groups and memory, possibly due to participants' cognitive profile and/or compensatory mechanisms, the study documented a possible beneficial role of low-to-moderate alcohol and a harmful role of full-fat dairy and red meat and cold cuts on limbic WM tracts.

Keywords: biomarkers; cognition; cold cuts; food groups; full-fat dairy; limbic system; low-to-moderate alcohol; memory function; red meat; white matter tractography.

Figure 1

Three-dimensional representation of the reconstructed (a) L CB, (b) L UF, (c) Fx, and (d) L hPPZ, which are color-coded according to the distribution of the FA values along each tract and are projected over a T1 sequence. The reconstruction of the tracts has been performed in one of the participants of the study using the Brainance MD platform (Advantis Medical Imaging). L = left; CB = cingulum bundle; UF = uncinate fasciculus; Fx = Fornix; hPPZ = hippocampal perforant pathway zone; WM = white matter; FA = fractional anisotropy.

Figure 2

Scatter plots and lines of best fit for the association between composite memory z-score and FA values of limbic WM tracts, (a) CB, (b) UF, (c) FX and (d) hPPZ. CB = cingulum bundle; UF = uncinate fasciculus; FX = fornix; hPPZ = hippocampal perforant pathway zone; FA = fractional anisotropy; WM = white matter.

Figure 3

Summary of the associations between food groups and FA of limbic WM tracts. Different user-specific colors were selected for the reconstructed WM tracts for visualization purposes. FA = fractional anisotropy; WM = white matter; L = left; CB = cingulum bundle; UF = uncinate fasciculus; FX = fornix; hPPZ = hippocampal perforant pathway zone; Thal = thalamus.