The burden of neurocognitive diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, is of global concern and
points to an urgent need for accurate detection and prevention strategies. This
thesis investigated dietary components, in particular those that affect vitamin B
levels, such as white fish consumption and veganism, which have the potential to
alter cognitive outcomes in the population. Also investigated were external factors,
significantly caffeine consumption, time of day, and quantity of sleep, not associated
with age-related impairment, that can alter neuropsychological test performance.
The literature reveals that short, multi-domain cognitive tests are commonly used
for dementia screening; this study has focused exclusively on cognitive domains
associated with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Cognitively healthy adults
were assessed using a cognitive test battery that focused on memory and processing speed.
Memory test scores improved by 0.03 points for every gram of white fish consumed,
whilst participants following a vegan diet scored significantly worse on tests of
composite memory than their omnivorous counterparts. Interaction tests showed
that prior caffeine consumption improved short-term memory test scores up to age
70. Participants of all ages performed best at their age-optimal times and further
improved for immediate word recall tests with prior caffeine consumption.
Processing speed scores increased linearly with hours of sleep.
The results of this thesis suggest that nutrition and external factors have a significant
impact on cognitive test performance. These novel findings have implications for
research, diagnosis and prevention of chronic neurological disease, and public health
guidance relating to cognitive function, for all ages.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/19072 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Ryan, Clarice A. |
| Contributors | Lesk, Valerie E., Walters, Elizabeth R. |
| Publisher | University of Bradford, Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, doctoral, PhD |
| Rights | <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. |
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