Green tea seen boosting cognitive ability of people with Down syndrome

PARIS – A chemical in green tea has been shown to improve cognitive ability in people with Down syndrome, scientists and doctors said Tuesday. In a year-long clinical trial, the treatment led to improved scores on memory and behavior tests, they reported in a study, published in the The Lancet Neurology. The positive impact remained six months after the trial ended. Brain scans revealed that the compound, called epigallocatechin gallate, altered the way neurons in the brain connect with one another. "This is the first time that a treatment has shown efficacy in the cognitive improvement of persons with this syndrome," said Mara Dierssen, senior author of the study and a researcher at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, Spain.