Glucose, memory, and aging

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Circulating glucose concentrations regulate many brain functions, including learning and memory. Much of the evidence for this view comes from experiments assessing stress-related release of epinephrine with subsequent increases in blood glucose concentrations. One application of this work has been to investigate whether age-related memory impairments result from dysfunctions in the neuroendocrine regulation of the brain processes responsible for memory. Like humans, aged rodents exhibit some memory impairments that can be reversed by administration of epinephrine or glucose. In elderly humans, ingestion of glucose enhances some cognitive functions, with effects best documented thus far on tests of verbal contextual and noncontextual information. Glucose also effectively enhances cognition in persons with Alzheimer disease or Down syndrome. Although earlier evidence suggested that glucose does not enhance cognitive function in healthy young adults, more recent findings suggest that glucose is effective in this population, provided the tests are sufficiently difficult. In college students, glucose consumption significantly enhanced memory of material in a paragraph. Glucose also appeared to enhance attentional processes in these students. Neither face and word recognition nor working memory was influenced by treatment with glucose. The neurobiological mechanisms by which glucose acts are under current investigation. Initial evidence suggests that glucose or a metabolite may activate release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in rats when they are engaged in learning. Consequently, the issue of nutrition and cognition becomes increasingly important in light of evidence that circulating glucose concentrations have substantial effects on brain and cognitive functions.

Key findings

• One application of this work has been to investigate whether age-related memory impairments result from dysfunctions in the neuroendocrine regulation of the brain processes responsible for memory.
• Although earlier evidence suggested that glucose does not enhance cognitive function in healthy young adults, more recent findings suggest that glucose is effective in this population, provided the tests are sufficiently difficult.
• In college students, glucose consumption significantly enhanced memory of material in a paragraph.
• Initial evidence suggests that glucose or a metabolite may activate release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in rats when they are engaged in learning.

Why it matters

This review reports that raising blood glucose with glucose or epinephrine can enhance some cognitive functions in elderly people and in people with Alzheimer disease or Down syndrome. It concerns temporary cognitive effects, not treating, curing or preventing the underlying disease.

Study details

• Evidence strengthLow

Read the original

• DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/67.4.764s
• PubMed: 9537626
• Original source →
• Free full text: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition →

Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

@article{korol1998-9537626,
  author  = {Korol, D. L. and Gold, P. E.},
  title   = {{Glucose, memory, and aging}},
  journal = {The American journal of clinical nutrition},
  year    = {1998},
  doi     = {10.1093/ajcn/67.4.764s},
  pmid    = {9537626},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/67.4.764s}
}

Related studies in Down syndrome and Alzheimer's

• Regional cerebral glucose metabolism is normal in young adults with Down syndrome Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism · 1990-03-01 · usefulness score 42/100
• Role of glucose in regulating the brain and cognition The American journal of clinical nutrition · 1995-04-01 · usefulness score 36/100
• Memory and Plasma pTau217 Refine Prognosis in Down Syndrome Annals of neurology · 2026-10-02 · usefulness score 47/100
• The value of the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test (Children's Version) in an epidemiological study of older adults with Down syndrome The British journal of clinical psychology · 1998-02-01 · usefulness score 46/100
• Learning and memory as a function of age in Down syndrome: a study using animal-based tasks Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry · 2005-03-01 · usefulness score 45/100
• Enhancing protein O-GlcNAcylation in down syndrome mice mitigates memory dysfunctions through the rescue of mitochondrial bioenergetics, stress responses and pathological markers Redox biology · 2025-07-16 · usefulness score 42/100

Similar studies

• Dementia and Down syndrome 1996 · Down syndrome and Alzheimer's
• Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease 1992 · Down syndrome and Alzheimer's
• [Alzheimer-type dementia and Down syndrome] 1995 · Down syndrome and Alzheimer's
• Down Syndrome 2026 · Down syndrome and Alzheimer's
• Development of Alzheimer disease in Down syndrome individuals 1983 · Down syndrome and Alzheimer's
• Down syndrome 1997 · Down syndrome and Alzheimer's

More on Down syndrome and Alzheimer's

• A review that covers this ground Relevance of donepezil in enhancing learning and memory in special populations: a review of the literature Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2007-01-13 · usefulness score 35/100
• Newest in this subject Differential endothelial cell remodeling in Down syndrome and APP duplication drives distinct blood brain barrier dysfunction bioRxiv · 2026-10-30 · Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed · usefulness score 16/100
• Newest in this subject Tau extent is associated with lower cognition in Down syndrome-related Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026-10-01 · Peer-reviewed · usefulness score 53/100

See all studies in Down syndrome and Alzheimer's →