The effects of anthocyanin consumption on functional connectivity in dementia and type 2 diabetes mellitus

This study investigates the effects of 12 weeks of anthocyanin consumption on brain function in individuals with Dementia with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and Dementia alone. Two groups of individuals: 12 participants with T2DM comorbid with dementia and 31 participants with dementia alone. EEG recordings were collected at baseline, before the start of the study, and after 12 weeks of anthocyanin consumption. During the study period, participants consumed 300 mg of anthocyanins daily. EEG recordings were conducted using a 21-channel gel EEG cap following the 10–20 system at a sampling rate of 500 Hz. EEG signals were divided into seven frequency bands, and the Imaginary Part of Coherence (iCOH) metric, which reduces volume conduction effects, was used to evaluate functional connectivity. Within-group analyses were performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and between-group comparisons were conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test, both implemented in Python. This study demonstrates that 12 weeks of anthocyanin supplementation positively impacts neural network ef ficiency and functional connectivity in both the Cognitive Impairment (CI) group and the Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with Cognitive Impairments (T2DMwCI) group. Significant improvements were observed in iCOH, GE, and LE metrics across delta, theta, beta, and gamma frequency bands, indicating enhanced information pro cessing and potential compensatory mechanisms. These findings highlight the neuroprotective properties of anthocyanins, suggesting their potential to mitigate cognitive decline associated with T2DM and dementia. As a result, it supports the idea that anthocyanins are a potential dietary intervention for mitigating cognitive decline, though further research is needed to validate and expand these results.