Effect of time-restricted eating on neurovascular coupling response in older adults: A pilot trial

Aging results in significant impairment of cerebromicrovascular endothelial function, which promotes neurovascular coupling (NVC) dysfunction and is linked to the genesis of cognitive decline. Time-restricted eating (TRE) can improve macrovascular endothelial function, but its effect on cerebrovascular function remains unclear. We hypothesized that TRE can improve NVC responses in older adults.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measurements were performed using a NIRScout platform (NIRx Medical Technologies LLC, NY, USA). The system was equipped with 16 sources (F3, AF7, AF3, Fz, Fpz, AF4, F4, AF8, FC6, C4, FC2, CP2, FC1, CP1, C3, FC5) emitting light at two different wavelengths (760 and 850 nm) and 16 photodetectors (F5, F1, Fp1, AFz, F2, Fp2, F6, AFF6h, C6, CC4, CP4, C2, C1, FC3, CP3, C5).

This dataset was collected for a pilot study that explored the relationship between TRE and NVC response in healthy older adults. The heatmap of the distribution of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) in the cortical tissues during a working memory task (N-back task) indicated significant improvements in NVC response in the prefrontal and mortor cortices after 6 months of TRE.

Further features of fNIRS data could be explored to gain insight into what parameters of cerebral hemodynamics are most sensitive to fasting and the relationship between time-restricted eating and functional connectivity in the frontal cortex.

However, the following limitations must be noted: (1) this pilot study included a small sample size (n=6), and (2) this dataset does not include data on neuronal networks, which is another component of the neurovascular unit.