Question

Insufficient mineral intake caused by aging or poor diet can negatively affect memory and cognition.

Read the following article and then respond to the questions.

A Mineral-Rich Diet: Prerequisite for Proper Brain Function: Consuming Foods That Supply Vital Nutrients Like Zinc, Iron, and Calcium Can Protect Cognition

1. The following statements all describe how zinc is needed for proper brain function except:

a. Zinc is found in high concentrations in the hypothalamus, a key brain region for learning and memory.

b. Insufficient levels of zinc were associated with a marked decrease in the number of neurotransmitters released.

c. New evidence suggests that zinc influences the number of neurotransmitters stored in synapses.

d. Zinc influences the process through which the neurotransmitters are released from the cell.

e. Zinc is present in brain synapses, the communication points between neurons, or brain cells.

2. Minerals play a vital role in the health and functioning of the brain. Which of the following statements is false?

a. Manganese appears to be involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters.

b. Magnesium plays a role in nerve function and is integral to memory formation and to communication among brain cells.

c. Calcium is involved in the functioning of nerves.

d. Chromium aids in glucose metabolism and produces several neurotransmitters.

e. Iron is involved in the production of several neurotransmitters and the fatty sheath that coats nerve fibers in the brain.

3. Many Americans eat too many over-processed and fast foods, which tend to be lacking in basic nutrients. Eating a mineral-poor diet can result in all of the following except:

a. adverse brain changes

b. loss of synapses and decline in memory

c. dementia

d. increased risk of Alzheimer's disease

e. poor memory and cognition

Answer 1

1) All the followings except the first sentence is right.

Zinc is important for neurotransmitter storage and release, it's also present in synapses along with glutamate but hypothalamus contain a high concentration of zinc that is not proven yet.

3) low mineral diet indeed affects brain functions and memory but Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that is not due to mineral deficiency. So option D is incorrect.

2) Here I found all the above-mentioned options are near about correct but one option that I found slightly incorrect for my option is option D. Because it aid to glucose metabolism that's right but it's importance in neurotransmitter realese is poorly known.