Spermidine intake is associated with cortical thickness and hippocampal volume in older adults

Abstract

Background: The natural polyamine spermidine, known to be important for cellular function, decreases during aging. Previous research has demonstrated beneficial impact of spermidine intake on memory functions in both animal models and humans, suggesting that spermidine may be a preventive approach to delay age-related cognitive decline and possibly even Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the association of spermidine intake with brain health in humans is still unknown. In this study, we aimed to determine the association between dietary spermidine intake and structural brain measures in older individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and healthy controls (HC).

Methods: Dietary spermidine intake and adherence to Mediterranean Diet (MeDi) were assessed by a self-reported food frequency questionnaire in 90 older adults with SCD and 47 HC. Processing of structural MRI data yielded global brain volumes, hippocampal volume, mean and regional cortical thickness, and cortical thickness in a template encompassing AD-vulnerable regions. In exploratory analyses, the association between spermidine intake and structural brain measures was assessed using adjusted and unadjusted linear regression models. Additionally, we tested for differential associations as a function of group. Mediation analyses were performed to examine whether dietary spermidine intake mediates the associations between adherence to MeDi and structural brain measures.

Results: Higher spermidine intake was associated with larger hippocampal volume (standardized β ​= ​0.262, p ​= ​0.002), greater mean cortical thickness (standardized β ​= ​0.187, p ​= ​0.031), and greater cortical thickness in AD-vulnerable brain regions (standardized β ​= ​0.176, p ​= ​0.042), the parietal (standardized β ​= ​0.202, p ​= ​0.020), and temporal lobes (standardized β ​= ​0.217, p ​= ​0.012). No significant differential effect emerged between older adults with SCD and HC. Moreover, a substantial mediating effect of dietary spermidine intake on the associations between adherence to MeDi and structural brain measures was observed.

Conclusion: Higher dietary spermidine intake was positively associated with several structural brain measures, irrespective of the presence of SCD, and substantially mediated the relationship of adherence to MeDi and structural brain measures. Our data suggest that higher spermidine intake might be a promising dietary approach to preserve brain health in older adults, a hypothesis currently tested in an interventional trial.

Keywords: Cortical thickness; Hippocampal volume; Mediterranean Diet; Spermidine; Subjective cognitive decline.