"New research published in Lancet Neurology and reported by CNN has found using a green tea extract decaffeinated in combination with cognitive training improves some measures of cognition and behavior in subjects with Down syndrome. Eightyseven volunteers aged  to  with Down syndrome were enrolled in the phase  randomized controlled trial. The study was conducted at the IMIMHospital del Mar Medical Research Institute in Barcelona Spain.  Participants were randomly assigned to take the decaffeinated green tea extract or placebo for one year. All subjects also underwent cognitive training during the month trial.  After one year of treatment functional brain scans fMRI showed that epigallocatechingallate EGCGtreated subjects had improved neuronal connectivity in certain brain regions. Participants who took the green tea extract also scored significantly better on assessments of visual recognition memory inhibitory control and adaptive behavior compared with those who took the placebo.  Its an important trial says Dr. Steven Hirsh director of clinical research for Life Extension in Fort Lauderdale Fla. The findings are very noteworthy and support further study in randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and durations. It is very encouraging that this catechin EGCG from green tea extract has the potential to benefit people with Down syndrome.   Down syndrome is a genetic condition that affects about  Americans. Individuals with Down syndrome have an extra full or partial copy of chromosome . The team of researchers led by Dr. Rafael de la Torre program director of IMIM Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute and study coprincipal investigator and Dr. Mara Dierssen group leader at Center for Genomic Regulation Barcelona Spain and study coprincipal investigator proposed that EGCG might have conferred these benefits by inhibiting an enzyme called DYRKA which has been implicated in Down syndrome and neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer disease. The level of DYRKApositive cells is elevated in certain regions of Alzheimer disease patients brains and is roughly fold higher in the frontal cortex compared to normal brains. DYRKA is implicated in the formation of neurofibrillary tangles via tau hyperphosphorylation and amyloid plaques both of which are features of Alzheimer disease. Tea catechins may also modulate the damaging effects of amyloidbeta. Several animal studies have found that EGCG and related compounds from tea suppress amyloidbetainduced cognitive dysfunction and neurotoxicity. Other possible mechanisms by which EGCG may influence cognition include epigenetic regulation restoration of mitochondrial function and antioxidative functions. In an earlier pilot study supported by Life Extension Drs. de la Torre and Dierssens team showed that three months of EGCG treatment improved symptoms in individuals with Down syndrome and in mice with a Downsyndromelike condition characterized by overexpression of DYRKA. We are excited that the benefits observed in the early pilot and preclinical research extended to this larger trial says Luke G. Huber ND MBA vice president of product innovation and scientific development at Life Extension. This new research adds to the growing body of evidence that suggests compounds in green tea such as EGCG may support cognitive health. In acknowledging the novelty of their findings and calling for more research the Spanish research team noted that this study is the first wellpowered trial that shows improvement in adaptive behavior functional academics and brainrelated changes in young adults with Downs syndrome. However more research is needed to clarify the nature of the beneficial association between the EGCG and cognitive training intervention ie synergistic or additive. References . de la Torre R de Sola S Hernandez G et al. Safety and efficacy of cognitive training plus epigallocatechingallate in young adults with Downs syndrome TESDAD a doubleblind randomised placebocontrolled phase  trial. The Lancet Neurology. .  . Senthilingam M. Cable News Network CNN U. S. Edition online. Can green tea boost your brainpower and treat disease http Last updated . Accessed . .  . CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Birth Defects. Key Findings Prevalence of Down syndrome in the United States. http Last updated . Accessed . .  . NDSS. What Is Down Syndrome  http Accessed .  . Stotani S Giordanetto F Medda F. DYRKA inhibition as potential treatment for Alzheimers disease. Future medicinal chemistry. .  . Souchet B Latour A Gu Y et al. Molecular rescue of DYRKA overexpression in cystathionine beta synthasedeficient mouse brain by enriched environment combined with voluntary exercise. Journal of molecular neuroscience  MN. .  . Becker W Soppa U Tejedor FJ. DYRKA a potential drug target for multiple Down syndrome neuropathologies. CNS  neurological disorders drug targets. .  . Wegiel J Gong CX Hwang YW. The role of DYRKA in neurodegenerative diseases. The FEBS journal. .  . Bhat RV Budd Haeberlein SL Avila J. Glycogen synthase kinase  a drug target for CNS therapies. Journal of neurochemistry. .  . Avila J Hernandez F. GSK inhibitors for Alzheimers disease. Expert review of neurotherapeutics. .  . Jope RS Roh MS. Glycogen Synthase Kinase GSK in Psychiatric Diseases and Therapeutic Interventions. Current Drug Targets. .  . Kim TI Lee YK Park SG et al. lTheanine an amino acid in green tea attenuates amyloidinduced cognitive dysfunction and neurotoxicity reduction in oxidative damage and inactivation of ERKp kinase and NFB pathways. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. .  . RezaiZadeh K Arendash GW Hou H et al. Green tea epigallocatechingallate EGCG reduces amyloid mediated cognitive impairment and modulates tau pathology in Alzheimer transgenic mice. Brain research. .  . Haque AM Hashimoto M Katakura M Hara Y Shido O. Green tea catechins prevent cognitive deficits caused by Abeta in rats. The Journal of nutritional biochemistry. .  . De la Torre R De Sola S Pons M et al. Epigallocatechingallate a DYRKA inhibitor rescues cognitive deficits in Down syndrome mouse models and in humans. Molecular nutrition  food research. . SOURCE Life Extension"