Cognitive function in healthy older European adults: the ZENITH study

Abstract

Objective: Baseline data are reported from a study of the effects of zinc supplementation on cognitive function in older adults as assessed by the CANTAB computerised test battery. Design: This is a multicentre prospective intervention study employing a randomised double-blind design. Setting: European community-based study. Participants: There are 387 healthy adults aged 55-87 y from centres in France, Italy and Northern Ireland. Interventions: Measures of visual memory, working memory and attention were obtained at baseline (prior to supplementation). Results: Younger adults (o70 y) performed significantly better than older adults (470 y) on all tests, with minimal differences between centres. In addition, men outperformed women on tests of spatial span, pattern recognition memory and reaction times, although these gender differences varied somewhat between centres. Conclusions: The results are generally consistent with previous age-and gender-related effects on cognitive functioning.

Zinc status, psychological and nutritional assessment in old people recruited in five European countries: Zincage study

“…The results are more evident when the zinc status indicates a deficiency of this trace element. In agreement with previous findings, which indicated that zinc is of benefit for psychological aspects in older adults Simpson et al 2005;McConville et al 2005), significant differences in zinc status and psychological dimensions were found among the five Countries herein considered.…”

Influence of schooling and age on cognitive performance in healthy older adults

“…E2014Tt, 49.41 cm diagonal display area, maximum resolution of 1600×900 pixels at 60 Hz), following standard procedures in accordance with the user's manual and as previously described (9,14,15,20). CANTAB tests use non-verbal stimuli for cognitive assessment, and include a practice section that does not count towards the final score.…”

Zinc diet and Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review

“…24 In the Zenith study, a multicentre prospective intervention study employing a randomized double-blind design, 387 healthy adults aged 55-87 years were treated with 15 mg Zn, 30 mg Zn, or placebo for 6 months. 34,39 Visual memory, working memory, attention, and reaction time were measured at baseline, after 3 and 6 months. Zn supplementation was associated with improved scores in tests on attention and spatial working memory (two of the eight cognitive tests).…”