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Neural Activation During Visual Attention Differs in Individuals with High versus Low Macular Pigment Density.

William T. Oliver,Lisa M. Renzi-Hammond,S. Thorne,B. Clementz,L. Miller,B. Hammond

Published 2019 in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research

ABSTRACT

SCOPE The neural efficiency hypothesis for lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) suggests that higher levels of L+Z in the central nervous system (CNS) are predictive of stronger stimulus-specific brain responses. Past research suggests that supplementing L+Z can improve neural processing speed and cognitive function across multiple domains, which supports this hypothesis. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which CNS L+Z levels predict brain responses using an attentionally taxing task. METHODS AND RESULTS Macular pigment optical density (MPOD) is measured at baseline in 85 participants ranging in age from 18-92 years. Brain activation is measured using dense array electroencephalography. Stimuli evoking the signal include a grating array of vertical bars, oscillating at four driving frequencies. Significant stimulus-specific interactions are detected between attend condition, location, and age (p < .002) for unattended image locations, and between age and location (p < .008) for attended locations. Although no differences are found across age by MPOD, this measure is found to be predictive of neural power at parafoveal bar locations (R2 .080). CONCLUSION CNS L+Z status is related to differences in brain activation in conditions designed to stress visual attention. These differences are strongest for older subjects.

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