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Effect of Dietary n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Brain Lipid Fatty Acid Composition, Learning Ability, and Memory of Senescence-Accelerated Mouse

¹ Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
² Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Veterans Affairs Medical Center, St. Louis, and Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.

Address correspondence to Gudrun V. Skuladottir, PhD, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Vatnsmyrarvegi 16, IS-101, Reykjavik, Iceland. E-mail: gudrunvs{at}hi.is

Animal studies have shown that a deficiency in brain of the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is associated with memory loss and diminished cognitive function. The senescence-accelerated prone 8 (SAMP8) mouse develops impairments in learning and memory at 8–12 months of age. The effect of diet supplemented with n-3 PUFA on brain phospholipid DHA status, learning, and memory ability in aged SAMP8 mice was investigated. At the age of 10 months, SAMP8 mice were fed either a low-DHA or a high-DHA diet for 8 weeks. In comparison to SAMP8 mice fed the low-DHA diet, those fed a high-DHA diet had improved acquisition and retention in a T-maze foot shock avoidance test and a higher proportion of DHA in hippocampal and amygdala phospholipids. This study demonstrates that, in mature animals, DHA is incorporated into brain phospholipids and that dietary n-3 PUFA is associated with delay in cognitive decline.

Key Words: Alzheimer's disease • n-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids • Docosahexaenoic acid • Hippocampus • Memory