Toei Shinyaku Co., Ltd. confirmed an effect of suppressing stress-induced cognitive dysfunction by intake of our King Agaricus KA21, Agaricus blazei (brasilensis, subrufesces) cultivated outdoor in Brasil, as a result of research in collaboration with Sigakkan University. Based on the results of this research, a patent application for “Composition improving stress-induced cognitive dysfunction, and pharmaceuticals, food, beverage, and feedstuffs containing such composition” has been filed.
■ Stress-induced cognitive decline
Dementia refers to a state of cognitive decline caused by degenerative diseases such as cerebrovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and various studies are underway on therapeutic agents to prevent or improve dementia. Meanwhile, it is also known that a decline in cognitive functions (memory, judgment, calculation, comprehension, learning, thinking, language, and the like) is also caused by mental stress in addition to the above-mentioned causes. For example, stress from being lonely is known to increase the risk of developing dementia in the elderly (*1), and social isolation is known to be a risk factor for dementia (*2).
The mechanism of stress-induced cognitive decline is still unclear, and it is considered to be a different pathological condition from senile dementia, which is caused by organic damage to the brain in association with aging, because the cognitive function may recover when stressors are eliminated.
Given this, it is thought that stress-induced cognitive decline (impairment) requires a preventive or improvement measure that is different from that for dementia caused by aging.
(*1) Wilson et al., Arch. Gen. Psychiatry, 2007
(*2) Livingston et al., The Lancet Commissions, 2017