Theracurmin’s role in memory, attention and depression enhancement in non-dementia elderly people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been published in an international journal again. Theracurmin is made from curcumin extracted from curcuma which is then pulverized into 0.0005mm submicron particles in order to increase the body absorption rate by 28 times.

In a recent issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry published online on the 19^th, a study led by Dr. Gary W. Small at the UCLA Memory and Aging Research Institute on the effects of Theracurmin on improvement of memory, attention and depression in non-dementia elderly people with MCI was reported. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry is a renowned journal that is published monthly by the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP), which has members of geriatric psychiatrists and other healthcare experts from all over the world.

The results from this study were presented at the 2017 International Alzheimer’s Society Conference, the world’s largest forum on dementia research, held in London in July last year, and received attention by showing that Theracurmin can indeed improve memory, attention and depression in elderly people who do not suffer from dementia but may be afflicted with mild cognitive impairment.

The study was conducted on a total of 40 men and women aged between 51 to 84 undergoing a normal aging process or suffering mild cognitive impairment. Subjects were divided into two groups in which one took ‘Theracurmin® (curcumin 90mg)’ twice daily for 18 months while the other took a placebo for the same period of time. As part of the trial participants took language, visual memory, attention and depression tests every 6 months.

As a result of the trial, it was found that the Theracurmin group showed an improvement in language and visual memory as well as increased attention, while the placebo group did not. In particular, the results of the SRT Consistent Long-Term Retrieval scores and attention tests showed a significant improvement compared to the placebo group. It was also found that the Beck Depression Inventory Score was also improved in the Theracurmin group, while no change was observed in the control group.

After 18 months, the team assessed the effect of curcumin on neuronal cytotoxicity using PET scans. The scans showed that an increased level of amyloid plaques and tau protein tangle aggregation, which are neurotoxic substances, can increase the likelihood of early development of Alzheimer’s disease. For brain CT scans, FDDNP, a chemical for dementia diagnosis, was used. FDDNP is a chemical that binds to neurotoxicants and by analyzing the degree of bonding the state of dementia can be diagnosed.

The results of the scans showed that the level of neurotoxicant and FDDNP binding in the amygdala was significantly decreased in the Theracurmin group. Also, in the hypothalamic region, no change was observed in the Theracurm group, while the placebo group showed an increase in the level of DDNP binding, indicating a significant difference between the two groups.

The amygdala and hypothalamus control memory and emotional functions. The findings from this study confirmed that Theracurmin (curcumin) has a potential role in treating depression along with memory and attention improvement.

The leader of the research team was Dr. Gary W. Small, who is a renowned psychiatrist and neuroscientist and head of the UCLA Memory and Aging Research Institute. He has been noted as one of the world’s top-50 pioneers in the field of science and technology by the 170-year old science journal, Scientific American.

Meanwhile, in 2016, Handok Inc. acquired Theravalues Corporation, a Japanese functional raw material company that developed Theracurmin, and plans to develop various products targeting domestic as well as global markets.