Vitamins and Cognition: A Nutrigenomics Perspective

Abstract

The rise in the prevalence of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental cognitive disorders combined with a lack of efficient therapeutic strategies has necessitated the need to develop alternate approaches. Dietary supplements are now being considered as a complementary and alternative medicine for cognitive impairments. Considerable evidence suggests the role of vitamins in modulating the genetic and epigenetic factors implicated in neuropsychiatric, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. In this review, we provide an overview of the implications of nutrigenomics with reference to vitamins that are suggested to boost cognitive functions (nootropic vitamins). Several vitamins have been found to possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which make them potential candidates in preventing or delaying age-related neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Well-designed longitudinal studies are essential to examine the association between vitamins and cognitive functions. Future studies linking nutrition with advances in neuroscience, genomics and epigenomics would provide novel approaches to managing cognitive disorders.