Journal
NUTRITIONAL NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 25, Issue 11, Pages 2247-2258Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/1028415X.2021.1954292
Keywords
Gulf War Illness; cognitive functioning; electroencephalography (EEG); glutamate; dietary intervention
Categories
Funding
- Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs through the Gulf War Illness Research Program [W81XWH-17-1-0457]
- U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity
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The study tested the low glutamate diet as a novel treatment for cognitive dysfunction among those with GWI. Significant improvements were seen after one-month on the diet in overall cognitive functioning, and in all other domains tested, except for memory. Participants were clustered based on baseline resting-state EEG, showing three distinct EEG clusters with differential cognitive effects during challenge with monosodium glutamate (MSG).
Objectives: Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic, multi-symptom disorder with underlying central nervous system dysfunction and cognitive impairments. The objective of this study was to test the low glutamate diet as a novel treatment for cognitive dysfunction among those with GWI, and to explore if baseline resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) could predict cognitive outcomes. Methods: Cognitive functioning was assessed at baseline, after one-month on the diet, and across a two-week double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover challenge with monosodium glutamate (MSG) relative to placebo. Results: Significant improvements were seen after one-month on the diet in overall cognitive functioning, and in all other domains tested (FDR p < 0.05), except for memory. Challenge with MSG resulted in significant inter-individual response variability (p < 0.0001). Participants were clustered according to baseline resting-state EEG using k-means clustering to explore the inter-individual response variability. Three distinct EEG clusters were observed, and each corresponded with differential cognitive effects during challenge with MSG: cluster 1 had cognitive benefit (24% of participants), cluster 2 had cognitive detriment (42% of participants), and cluster 3 had mild/mixed effects (33% of participants). Discussion: These findings suggest that the low glutamate diet may be a beneficial treatment for cognitive impairment in GWI. Future research is needed to understand the extent to which resting-state EEG can predict response to the low glutamate diet and to explore the mechanisms behind the varied response to acute glutamate challenge.
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