Skin and Macular Carotenoids in Relation to Brain Structure and Function in School-Aged Children

Carotenoids are anti-inflammatory plant pigments that, when consumed, deposit in human tissues (e.g., macula, skin, brain). Although limited data indicate associations between carotenoids and brain structure and function in adults, this relationship has not been previously examined in children.

This research aimed to study skin and macular carotenoids in relation to brain volume, global functional connectivity, and task-based brain function among school-aged children.

Cross-sectional data were collected from 47 children aged 7-13 y (X¯ = 10.84 ± 1.88). Skin carotenoids were measured using reflection spectroscopy (Veggie Meter). Macular pigment optical density (MPOD) was measured using customized heterochromatic flicker photometry. Brain data were acquired with a 3T Siemens Prisma magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Functional MRI was used to assess brain activity during rest and during a relational memory task.

MPOD was related to lower optic chiasm volume (β = -0.34, P < 0.01) and inferior frontal gyrus (pars opercularis) task-based activity (β = -0.38, P = 0.054). Skin carotenoids predicted inferior temporal white matter (β = 0.23, P < 0.01) and choroid plexus volume (β = -0.33, P = 0.03).

Findings suggest that neural carotenoid status (i.e., MPOD) is linked to visual system volume and brain activity related to cognitive control and working memory during relational memory processing. Peripheral carotenoid status (i.e., skin carotenoids) was associated with inferior temporal white matter volume, which supports visual processing and memory, as well as with choroid plexus volume, a structure involved in neuroinflammation, immune signaling, and disease severity. Further experimental research is needed to examine the effects of carotenoid intake on brain structure and function in childhood.