Select Plant Extracts Enhance Autophagy-Lysosomal Pathways and Improve Synaptic/Cognitive Resilience Using a Brain Explant Synaptopathy Model and Translational Studies
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measured PFC recruitment during the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (mild stressor) and the Digit Span Task (verbal recall cognitive task).Results: Participants (mean age 21 years, range 18-34) were 78% cis-gender female, 21% cis-gender male, and 1% nonbinary; 61% identified as White/Caucasian, 12% Asian, 10% Hispanic/Latinx, and 6.5% Black.Individuals reporting aboveaverage stress demonstrated greater right dorsolateral PFC recruitment during the mild stressor compared to those with lower stress.A higher dietary aromatic amino acid-to-protein intake was associated with greater right ventrolateral PFC recruitment during the mild stress task.In contrast, during the Digit Span Task, higher aromatic amino acid-to-protein intake was associated with reduced right ventrolateral PFC recruitment.Higher tryptophan intake relative to protein was associated with lower anxiety severity.Conclusions: Greater dorsolateral PFC recruitment among individuals with higher self-reported stress may reflect greater compensatory regulatory effort during stress exposure.In parallel, the task-dependent association between aromatic amino acid intake and ventrolateral PFC recruitment suggests dietary monoamine precursors may influence how prefrontal control networks are engaged under stress versus cognitive demand.This study warrants further investigation into whether modifying dietary aromatic amino acid-to-protein ratios may represent a novel nutritional strategy to influence stress-related neural circuitry.
Language: English
Subfield: Complementary and alternative medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,000
OpenAlex ID: W7170496529