Cited by 1,372Nutritional Studies and DietNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchFatty Acid Research and Health

Brain foods: The effects of nutrients on brain function.

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Gómez-Pinilla, Fernando·2008·Nature Reviews Neuroscience

Abstract

It has long been suspected that the relative abundance of specific nutrients can affect cognitive processes and emotions. Newly described influences of dietary factors on neuronal function and synaptic plasticity have revealed some of the vital mechanisms that are responsible for the action of diet on brain health and mental function. Several gut hormones that can enter the brain, or that are produced in the brain itself, influence cognitive ability. In addition, well-established regulators of synaptic plasticity, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, can function as metabolic modulators, responding to peripheral signals such as food intake. Understanding the molecular basis of the effects of food on cognition will help us to determine how best to manipulate diet in order to increase the resistance of neurons to insults and promote mental fitness.

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  • The selected health problems and the causal pathways they influence have interactive and synergistic effects.

    “These health problems and the causal pathways they influence have interactive and a synergistic effect”

    From Healthier Students Are Better Learners: A Missing Link in School Reforms to Close the Achievement Gap (2011) · cites this paper as [52]

    In “Effects of nutrients on cognition” (page not specified), the paper discusses synergistic effects of diet and exercise and identifies molecules that may explain them. “Conclusions and future directions” likewise describes their combined action on molecular systems. It does not establish that the selected health problems and the causal pathways they influence have synergistic effects. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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Authors
Gómez-Pinilla, F.
Venue
Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Published
2008-07
Volume
9
Issue
7
Pages
568-578
ISSN
  • 1471-003X (ISSN-L)
  • 1471-0048
OpenAlex
W2119754857
Cited by
1,372
References
170
Citations by year
2026: 86 · 2025: 115 · 2024: 132 · 2023: 73 · 2022: 91 · 2021: 93 · 2020: 105 · 2019: 83 · 2018: 89 · 2017: 73 · 2016: 63 · 2015: 80 · 2014: 63 · 2013: 49 · 2012: 57
FWCI
5.94
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature reviews. Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS 50465, R01NS050465)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Fatty Acid Research and Health
Keywords
brain food, dietary nutrients, cognitive function, synaptic plasticity, gastrointestinal hormones, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neuronal resilience, food intake regulation, brain health
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Cognition, Diet, Eating, Energy Metabolism, Food, Homeostasis, Humans, Nervous System Physiological Phenomena, Neuronal Plasticity, Signal Transduction, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Epigenesis, Genetic

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