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Updated: Sep 7, 2026
Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
Effects of peanut consumption on task-related brain activation, cognition and neuroinflammation in older adults with
Gabriela Chiriac1, Samuel R Barnes2, Jonathan H Venezia2
1School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, United States.
Objective:
Peanuts are rich in unsaturated fats, antioxidants like polyphenols, and other bioactive compounds that may reduce neuroinflammation and support cognitive health. Although limited evidence suggests potential cognitive benefits of peanut intake, none have explored these effects in older adults at risk for cognitive decline or assessed brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This study explored the effects of daily peanut consumption on task-related brain activation, cognition, and neuroinflammation biomarkers in older adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and memory complaints.
Methods:
In this 12-week, controlled, parallel-design, open-label randomized trial registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05532007), 30 overweight or obese older adults with memory complaints and CVD risk factors were randomized to a peanut group (PG), which consumed 42-86 g/d of peanuts and peanut butter, or a control group (CG), which abstained from peanuts. The final analyzed sample included 27 participants (PG, n = 12; CG, n = 15). Assessments at baseline and 12 weeks included fMRI during an n-back working memory task; a comprehensive neurocognitive battery assessing global cognition and specific domains (memory, processing speed, verbal fluency, and executive function); and selected serum markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. Cognitive outcomes were analyzed using analysis of covariance, and biomarker outcomes using repeated-measures models, adjusting for baseline values (cognitive outcomes only), age, sex, baseline BMI, and change in body weight. The Holm step-down procedure was applied separately to cognitive and biomarker outcome families to account for multiple comparisons.
Results:
No significant between-group differences were observed in task-related brain activation or cognitive performance. Although some biomarker outcomes were nominally significant in unadjusted analyses, no Time × Group interactions remained significant after adjustment and correction for multiple comparisons.
Conclusion:
In overweight or obese older adults with elevated CVD risk and memory complaints, a 12-week peanut intervention did not produce significant changes in cognition or task-related activation of the brain. Future studies with larger sample sizes, longer intervention durations, and greater statistical power are needed to determine whether peanut consumption may influence neurocognitive trajectories and to further investigate the role of inflammatory and oxidative stress mechanisms in these relationships.
