In need of a brain boost? Acerola cherries can help!
Thanks to their high levels of anthocyanins, these berries can improve the function of brain receptors and help protect against memory loss and other cognitive disorders.
Due to its high level of antioxidants, acerola can also reduce inflammation and oxidative stress that cause damage to brain cells and neurons.
Though clinical trials are still scarce, plant-derived antioxidants offer promising evidence in slowing down the progression of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease.
The brain can be described as the most complex structure in the human body. It is made up of neurons and neuroglia, the neurons being responsible for sending and receiving nerve impulses or signals. The microglia and astrocytes are essential for ensuring the proper functioning of neurons. They are quick to intervene when neurons become injured or stressed. As they are sentinels of neuron well-being, pathological impairment of microglia or astrocytes could have devastating consequences for brain function.
It is assumed that neuroglial activation is largely determined by neuronal signals. Acute injury causes neurons to generate signals that inform neuroglia about the neuronal status. Depending on how severe a degree of neuronal injury, neuroglia will either nurse the injured neurons into regeneration or kill them if they are not viable. These types of neuroglial responses are considered to represent normal physiological and neuroprotective responses. In contrast, some processes that are chronic in nature persistently activate neuroglia eventually causing a failure in their physiological ability to maintain homeostasis. This could have detrimental consequences and may lead to bystander damage due to neuroglial dysfunction.
