Deoiled sunflower seeds ameliorate depression by promoting the production of monoamine neurotransmitters and inhibiting oxidative stress.

We aimed to evaluate the antidepressant activity of deoiled sunflower seeds (SFS), which are rich in tryptophan, in our mouse model and explored a possible mechanism of action. Male C57BL/6J mice were subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and were administered a diet containing SFS as the main protein source. SFS alleviated CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors, compared to the effects of a whey protein-based diet. This effect was related to increases in the levels of serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in SFS-fed mice. These changes accompanied the amelioration of inflammatory abnormalities and oxidative stress. SFS increased the aromatic amino acid levels, and the ratio of tryptophan to neutral amino acids. Furthermore, the antidepressant-like effects of SFS were involved in lipid, nucleotide, and amino acid metabolism. In summary, SFS was found to attenuate depression-like symptoms in mice. These antidepressant effects may be related to the increase in the levels of aromatic amino acids and neurotransmitters, amelioration of oxidative stress and inflammation, and the regulation of the levels of abnormal metabolites to the normal levels.

Test time affects the detection of cognitive dysfunction by Montreal Cognitive Assessment in elderly patients after stroke / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective To compare if the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) performed in the morning or afternoon would affect abnormal rate of cognitive function in the elderly with stroke.Methods A total of 378 senile patients (≥ 65 years) with acute ischemic stroke and low NIHSS score (≤ 3) were enrolled in the prospective study,which was held in the Department of Neurology at Cangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine.MoCA was assessed after one month of hospitalization.Based on the time of MoCA assessment,all patients were randomly divided into the group A (assessed in the morning,9 am-12 am) and the group B (assessed in the afternoon,12 am to 5 pm).Clinical data were collected,and RANKIN scale (mRS) examination was performed.Moreover,patients were further divided into severe cognitive impairment (SCI) subgroup (score ＜ 20),mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subgroup (score 20-25) and no cognitive impairment (NCI) subgroup (score ＞ 26) according to the MoCA score.Results There were 189 patients in the group A (50％),and 189 cases in the group B (50％).There was no significant difference in age,gender,education level,disability (mRS score ＜ 1),history of hypertension,diabetes,hyperlipidemia,smoking and atrial fibrillation between the two groups.Based on the MoCA score,211 cases had NCI,142 had MCI,and 25 had SCI.Compared with patients in group B,patients in group A was associated with significantly higher positive rate of SCI[12.2％ (23/189)vs.1.1％ (2/189),P=0.000],MCI[40.2％ (76/189)vs.34.9％ (66/189),P=0.013]and slightly higher positive rate of NCI[56.6％ (107/189)vs.55.0％ (104/189),P=0.214].Conclusions The test time of MoCA may have an effect on the cognitive function detection rate in elderly patients with stroke,and the time of MoCA examination should be considered in clinical examination.