Resveratrol in wine boosts brain power

A common chemical substance resveratrol found in wine may help boost brain power and learning, a study by the researchers from MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory has found.

Resveratrol has been shown in studies activating  a group of enzymes known as sirtuins in the brain.

Sirtuin1 holds a role in promoting memory and brain flexibility, MIT researchers reported in the leading science weekly journal Nature.

Resveratrol’s role in stimulating sirtuin one could lead to new drugs for Alzheimer’s disease and other debilitating neuro-denerative disorders, the hoped.

“We demonstrated previously that Sirtuin1 promotes neuronal survival in age-dependent neurodegenerative disorders. In our cell and mouse models for Alzheimer’s disease, SIRT1 promoted neuronal survival, reduced neurodegeneration and prevented learning impairment,”  Li-Huei Tsai, lead author of the study, quoted  as saying in Nature.

SIRT1 activity also promotes plasticity and memory. This result demonstrates a multi-faceted role of SIRT1 in the brain, further highlighting its potential as a target for the treatment of  neurodegeneration and conditions with impaired cognition, with implications for a wider range of central nervous system disorders, said Tsai.

Though SIRT1 has been linked to normal brain physiology and neurological disorders,  it was largely unknown that the enzymes played a role in higher-order brain functions.

SIRT1 aids memory and help neurons to survive through a previously unknown microRNA-based mechanism.   SIRT1 also has a direct role in regulating the central nervous system, the Picower study found.

SIRT1 could be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of diseases affecting brain, the researchers said.