Memory and Brain Amyloid and Tau Effects of a Bioavailable Form of Curcumin in Non-Demented Adults: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled 18-Month Trial

• Published in: The American journal of geriatric psychiatry 2018-03, Vol.26 (3), p.266-277
• Main Authors: Small, Gary W., Siddarth, Prabha, Li, Zhaoping, Miller, Karen J., Ercoli, Linda, Emerson, Natacha D., Martinez, Jacqueline, Wong, Koon-Pong, Liu, Jie, Merrill, David A., Chen, Stephen T., Henning, Susanne M., Satyamurthy, Nagichettiar, Huang, Sung-Cheng, Heber, David, Barrio, Jorge R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Aging - drug effects; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal - administration & dosage; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal - pharmacology; Attention - drug effects; Bioavailability; Bioavailable curcumin; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - drug effects; Clinical trials; cognition; Curcumin - administration & dosage; Curcumin - pharmacology; Double-Blind Method; Double-blind studies; Female; Humans; Male; Memory; Memory - drug effects; Middle Aged; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; normal aging; Placebo effect; Placebos; Plaque, Amyloid - drug therapy; Positron-Emission Tomography; tau Proteins - drug effects; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 1064-7481; 1545-7214
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2017.10.010

•This is the first long-term (18 months) double-blind, placebo controlled trial of a bioavailable form of curcumin (Theracurmin® containing 90 mg of curcumin twice daily) in non-demented adults.•We found that daily oral Theracurmin led to significant memory and attention benefits.•FDDNP-PET scans performed pre- and post-treatment suggested that behavioral and cognitive benefits are associated with decreases in plaque and tangle accumulation in brain regions modulating mood and memory.•Curcumin's cognitive benefits may stem from its anti-inflammatory and/or anti-amyloid brain effects. Because curcumin's anti-inflammatory properties may protect the brain from neurodegeneration, we studied its effect on memory in non-demented adults and explored its impact on brain amyloid and tau accumulation using 2-(1-{6-[(2-[F-18]fluoroethyl)(methyl)amino]-2-naphthyl}ethylidene)malononitrile positron emission tomography (FDDNP-PET). Forty subjects (age 51–84 years) were randomized to a bioavailable form of curcumin (Theracurmin® containing 90 mg of curcumin twice daily [N = 21]) or placebo (N = 19) for 18 months. Primary outcomes were verbal (Buschke Selective Reminding Test [SRT]) and visual (Brief Visual Memory Test-Revised [BVMT-R]) memory, and attention (Trail Making A) was a secondary outcome. FDDNP-PET signals (15 curcumin, 15 placebo) were determined in amygdala, hypothalamus, medial and lateral temporal, posterior cingulate, parietal, frontal, and motor (reference) regions. Mixed effects general linear models controlling for age and education, and effect sizes (ES; Cohen's d) were estimated. SRT Consistent Long-Term Retrieval improved with curcumin (ES = 0.63, p = 0.002) but not with placebo (ES = 0.06, p = 0.8; between-group: ES = 0.68, p = 0.05). Curcumin also improved SRT Total (ES = 0.53, p = 0.002), visual memory (BVMT-R Recall: ES = 0.50, p = 0.01; BVMT-R Delay: ES = 0.51, p = 0.006), and attention (ES = 0.96, p