Good God, woman, what a load of bollox

The reference is

Shukitt-Hale B, Carey AN, Jenkins D, Rabin BM, Joseph JA.
Beneficial effects of fruit extracts on neuronal function and
behavior in a rodent model of accelerated aging.
Neurobiol Aging. 2006 Jul 10; [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 16837106 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=16837106>

   "Exposing young rats to particles of high-energy and charge
   (HZE particles) enhances indices of oxidative stress and
   inflammation and disrupts the functioning of the dopaminergic
   system and behaviors mediated by this system in a manner
   similar to that seen in aged animals. Previous research has
   shown that diets supplemented with 2% blueberry or strawberry
   extracts have the ability to retard and even reverse age-
   related deficits in behavior and signal transduction in rats,
   perhaps due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
   properties. This study evaluated the efficacy of these diets on
   irradiation-induced deficits in these parameters by maintaining
   rats on these diets or a control diet for 8 weeks prior to
   being exposed to whole-body irradiation with 1.5Gy of 1GeV/n
   high-energy (56)Fe particles. Irradiation impaired performance
   in the Morris water maze and measures of dopamine release 1
   month following radiation; these deficits were protected by the
   antioxidant diets. The strawberry diet offered better
   protection against spatial deficits in the maze because
   strawberry-fed animals were better able to retain place
   information (a hippocampally mediated behavior) compared to
   controls. The blueberry diet, on the other hand, seemed to
   improve reversal learning, a behavior more dependent on intact
   striatal function. These data suggest that (56)Fe particle
   irradiation causes deficits in behavior and signaling in rats
   which were ameliorated by an antioxidant diet and that the
   polyphenols in these fruits might be acting in different brain
   regions."

This result is consistent with earlier studies abot berries and brain:

Galli RL, Bielinski DF, Szprengiel A, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph JA.
Blueberry supplemented diet reverses age-related decline in
hippocampal HSP70 neuroprotection.
Neurobiol Aging. 2006 Feb;27(2):344-50.
PMID: 15869824 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=15869824>

Stromberg I, Gemma C, Vila J, Bickford PC.
Blueberry- and spirulina-enriched diets enhance striatal dopamine
recovery and induce a rapid, transient microglia activation after
injury of the rat nigrostriatal dopamine system.
Exp Neurol. 2005 Dec;196(2):298-307. Epub 2005 Sep 19.
PMID: 16176814 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=16176814>

Lau FC, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph JA.
The beneficial effects of fruit polyphenols on brain aging.
Neurobiol Aging. 2005 Dec;26 Suppl 1:128-32. Epub 2005 Sep 27. Review.
PMID: 16194581 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=16194581>

   "Brain aging is characterized by the continual concession to
   battle against insults accumulated over the years. One of the
   major insults is oxidative stress, which is the inability to
   balance and to defend against the cellular generation of
   reactive oxygen species (ROS). These ROS cause oxidative damage
   to nucleic acid, carbohydrate, protein, and lipids. Oxidative
   damage is particularly detrimental to the brain, where the
   neuronal cells are largely post-mitotic. Therefore, damaged
   neurons cannot be replaced readily via mitosis. During normal
   aging, the brain undergoes morphological and functional
   modifications resulting in the observed behavioral declines
   such as decrements in motor and cognitive performance. These
   declines are augmented by neurodegenerative diseases including
   amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's disease (AD),
   and Parkinson's disease (PD). Research from our laboratory has
   shown that nutritional antioxidants, such as the polyphenols
   found in blueberries, can reverse age-related declines in
   neuronal signal transduction as well as cognitive and motor
   deficits. Furthermore, we have shown that short-term blueberry
   (BB) supplementation increases hippocampal plasticity. These
   findings are briefly reviewed in this paper."

Ramirez MR, Izquierdo I, do Carmo Bassols Raseira M, Zuanazzi JA,
Barros D, Henriques AT.
Effect of lyophilised Vaccinium berries on memory, anxiety and
locomotion in adult rats.
Pharmacol Res. 2005 Dec;52(6):457-62. Epub 2005 Aug 10.
PMID: 16098760 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=16098760>

Loren DJ, Seeram NP, Schulman RN, Holtzman DM.
Maternal dietary supplementation with pomegranate juice is
neuroprotective in an animal model of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain
injury.
Pediatr Res. 2005 Jun;57(6):858-64. Epub 2005 Mar 17.
PMID: 15774834 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.pedresearch.org/cgi/content/full/57/6/858>

Wang Y, Chang CF, Chou J, Chen HL, Deng X, Harvey BK, Cadet JL,
Bickford PC.
Dietary supplementation with blueberries, spinach, or spirulina
reduces ischemic brain damage.
Exp Neurol. 2005 May;193(1):75-84.
PMID: 15817266 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=15817266>

Andres-Lacueva C, Shukitt-Hale B, Galli RL, Jauregui O,
Lamuela-Raventos RM, Joseph JA.
Anthocyanins in aged blueberry-fed rats are found centrally and may
enhance memory.
Nutr Neurosci. 2005 Apr;8(2):111-20.
PMID: 16053243 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=16053243>

Joseph JA, Shukitt-Hale B, Casadesus G.
Reversing the deleterious effects of aging on neuronal communication
and behavior: beneficial properties of fruit polyphenolic compounds.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jan;81(1 Suppl):313S-316S. Review.
PMID: 15640496 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/102/13/4896>

Willis L, Bickford P, Zaman V, Moore A, Granholm AC.
Blueberry extract enhances survival of intraocular hippocampal
transplants.
Cell Transplant. 2005;14(4):213-23.
PMID: 15929556 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=15929556>

Casadesus G, Shukitt-Hale B, Stellwagen HM, Zhu X, Lee HG, Smith
MA, Joseph JA.
Modulation of hippocampal plasticity and cognitive behavior by
short-term blueberry supplementation in aged rats.
Nutr Neurosci. 2004 Oct-Dec;7(5-6):309-16.
PMID: 15682927 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=15682927>

Kelawala NS, Ananthanarayan L.
Antioxidant activity of selected foodstuffs.
Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2004 Sep;55(6):511-6.
PMID: 15762315 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=15762315>

Goyarzu P, Malin DH, Lau FC, Taglialatela G, Moon WD, Jennings R,
Moy E, Moy D, Lippold S, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph JA.
Blueberry supplemented diet: effects on object recognition memory and
nuclear factor-kappa B levels in aged rats.
Nutr Neurosci. 2004 Apr;7(2):75-83.
PMID: 15279493 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=15279493>

Hannum SM.  Potential impact of strawberries on human health: a review
of the
science.
Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2004;44(1):1-17. Review.
PMID: 15077879 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=15077879>

Joseph JA, Denisova NA, Arendash G, Gordon M, Diamond D,
Shukitt-Hale B, Morgan D.
Blueberry supplementation enhances signaling and prevents behavioral
deficits in an Alzheimer disease model.
Nutr Neurosci. 2003 Jun;6(3):153-62.
PMID: 12793519 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=12793519>

   "Previously, we showed that blueberry (BB) supplementation
   reversed the deleterious effects of aging on motor behavior and
   neuronal signaling in senescent rodents. We now report that BB-
   fed (from 4 months of age) APP + PS1 transgenic mice showed no
   deficits in Y-maze performance (at 12 months of age) with no
   alterations in amyloid beta burden. It appeared that the
   protective mechanisms are derived from BB-induced enhancement
   of memory-associated neuronal signaling (e.g. extracellular
   signal-regulated kinase) and alterations in neutral
   sphingomyelin-specific phospholipase C activity. Thus, our data
   indicate for the first time that it may be possible to overcome
   genetic predispositions to Alzheimer disease through diet."

Galli RL, Shukitt-Hale B, Youdim KA, Joseph JA.
Fruit polyphenolics and brain aging: nutritional interventions
targeting age-related neuronal and behavioral deficits.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Apr;959:128-32. Review.
PMID: 11976192 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.annalsnyas.org/cgi/content/abstract/959/1/128>

   "Nutritional interventions, in this case, increasing dietary
   intake of fruits and vegetables, can retard and even reverse
   age-related declines in brain function and in cognitive and
   motor performance in rats. Our lab has shown that as Fischer
   344 rats age their brains are increasingly vulnerable to
   oxidative stress. Dietary supplementation with fruit or
   vegetable extracts high in antioxidants (e.g., blueberry, BB,
   spinach, respectively) can decrease this vulnerability to
   oxidative stress as assessed in vivo by examining reductions in
   neuronal signaling and behavioral deficits and in vitro via
   H2O2-induced decrements in striatal synaptosomal calcium
   buffering. Examinations have also revealed that BB
   supplementations are effective in antagonizing other age-
   related changes in brain and behavior, as well as decreasing
   indices of inflammation and oxidative stress in gastrocnemius
   and quadriceps muscles. In ongoing studies we are attempting to
   determine the most effective BB polyphenolic components. To
   date, the anthocyanins show the most efficacy in penetrating
   the cell membrane and in providing antioxidant protection. In
   sum, our results indicate that increasing dietary intake of
   fruits and vegetables high in antioxidant activity may be an
   important component of a healthy living strategy designed to
   maximize neuronal and cognitive functioning into old age."

Bickford PC, Gould T, Briederick L, Chadman K, Pollock A, Young
D, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph J.
Antioxidant-rich diets improve cerebellar physiology and motor
learning in aged rats.
Brain Res. 2000 Jun 2;866(1-2):211-7.
PMID: 10825496 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=10825496>

   "The free radical theory of aging predicts that reactive oxygen
   species are involved in the decline in function associated with
   aging. The present paper reports that diets supplemented with
   either spinach, strawberries or blueberries, nutritional
   sources of antioxidants, reverse age-induced declines in beta-
   adrenergic receptor function in cerebellar Purkinje neurons
   measured using electrophysiological techniques. In addition the
   spinach diet improved learning on a runway motor task,
   previously shown to be modulated by cerebellar norepinephrine.
   Motor learning is important for adaptation to changes in the
   environment and is thus critical for rehabilitation following
   stroke, spinal cord injury, and the onset of some
   neurodegenerative diseases. These data are the first to
   indicate that age-related deficits in motor learning and memory
   can be reversed with nutritional interventions."

Martin A, Prior R, Shukitt-Hale B, Cao G, Joseph JA.
Effect of fruits, vegetables, or vitamin E--rich diet on vitamins E
and C distribution in peripheral and brain tissues: implications for
brain function.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2000 Mar;55(3):B144-51.
PMID: 10795718 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://biomed.gerontologyjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/55/3/B144>

Bickford PC, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph J.
Effects of aging on cerebellar noradrenergic function and motor
learning: nutritional interventions.
Mech Ageing Dev. 1999 Nov;111(2-3):141-54.
PMID: 10656533 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=10656533>

   "Aging is associated with a decline in motor coordination and
   the ability to learn new motor learning skills. This loss of
   function is correlated with a decline in cerebellar beta-
   adrenergic receptor function. We have examined the role of
   oxidative stress on this system by exposing young rats to
   normobaric hyperoxia. This exogenous oxidative insult results
   in a decline in cerebellar beta-adrenergic receptor function
   that resembles what is observed in normal aged rats. This
   effect of hyperoxia is blocked by antioxidants. We have also
   examined the effects of nutritional supplementation of aged
   rats with diets high in antioxidant capacity. Foods such as
   blueberries and spinach can prevent and/or reverse age-related
   declines in cerebellar noradrenergic receptor function."

Joseph JA, Shukitt-Hale B, Denisova NA, Bielinski D, Martin A,
McEwen JJ, Bickford PC.
Reversals of age-related declines in neuronal signal transduction,
cognitive, and motor behavioral deficits with blueberry, spinach, or
strawberry dietary supplementation.
J Neurosci. 1999 Sep 15;19(18):8114-21.
PMID: 10479711 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/full/19/18/8114>

Richardson JS.
Neuroprotective agents.
Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 1999 May;10(2):447-61. Review.
PMID: 10370940 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstra
ctPlus&list_uids=10370940>

Joseph JA, Shukitt-Hale B, Denisova NA, Prior RL, Cao G, Martin
A, Taglialatela G, Bickford PC.
Long-term dietary strawberry, spinach, or vitamin E supplementation
retards the onset of age-related neuronal signal-transduction and
cognitive behavioral deficits.
J Neurosci. 1998 Oct 1;18(19):8047-55.
PMID: 9742171 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
<http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/full/18/19/8047>