Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3059-3068 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Cerebral Cortex |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2014 |
Abstract
Higher intake of seafish or oil rich in long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-n3-FA) may be beneficial for the aging brain. We tested in a prospective interventional design whether high levels of supplementary LC-n3-FA would improve cognition, and addressed potential mechanisms underlying the effects. Sixty-five healthy subjects (50-75 years, 30 females) successfully completed 26 weeks of either fish oil (2.2 g/day LC-n3-FA) or placebo intake. Before and after the intervention period, cognitive performance, structural neuroimaging, vascular markers, and blood parameters were assayed. We found a significant increase in executive functions after LC-n3-FA compared with placebo (P = 0.023). In parallel, LC-n3-FA exerted beneficial effects on white matter microstructural integrity and gray matter volume in frontal, temporal, parietal, and limbic areas primarily of the left hemisphere, and on carotid intima media thickness and diastolic blood pressure. Improvements in executive functions correlated positively with changes in omega-3-index and peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and negatively with changes in peripheral fasting insulin. This double-blind randomized interventional study provides first-time evidence that LC-n3-FA exert positive effects on brain functions in healthy older adults, and elucidates underlying mechanisms. Our findings suggest novel strategies to maintain cognitive functions into old age.
Keywords
- Aged, Aging/blood, Analysis of Variance, Anthropometry, Brain/anatomy & histology, Carotid Intima-Media Thickness, Cholesterol/blood, Cognition/drug effects, Double-Blind Method, Fasting/blood, Fatty Acids, Omega-3/pharmacology, Female, Gray Matter/drug effects, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Lipoproteins/blood, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Prospective Studies, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, White Matter/drug effects, intima media thickness, cognitive aging, executive functions, voxel-based morphometry, diffusion tensor imaging
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
- Neuroscience(all)
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Cite this
- Standard
- Harvard
- Apa
- Vancouver
- BibTeX
- RIS
In: Cerebral Cortex, Vol. 24, No. 11, 11.2014, p. 3059-3068.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids improve brain function and structure in older adults
AU - Witte, A Veronica
AU - Kerti, Lucia
AU - Hermannstädter, Henrike M
AU - Fiebach, Jochen B
AU - Schreiber, Stephan J
AU - Schuchardt, Jan Philipp
AU - Hahn, Andreas
AU - Flöel, Agnes
N1 - Funding information: This work was supported by grants from the Deutsche For-schungsgemeinschaft (Fl 379-8/1, Fl 379-10/1; and DFG-Exc 257), the Else-Kröner Fresenius Stiftung (2009-141; 2011-119), and the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (FKZ 0315673A, 01EO0801, 01 GY 1144).
PY - 2014/11
Y1 - 2014/11
N2 - Higher intake of seafish or oil rich in long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-n3-FA) may be beneficial for the aging brain. We tested in a prospective interventional design whether high levels of supplementary LC-n3-FA would improve cognition, and addressed potential mechanisms underlying the effects. Sixty-five healthy subjects (50-75 years, 30 females) successfully completed 26 weeks of either fish oil (2.2 g/day LC-n3-FA) or placebo intake. Before and after the intervention period, cognitive performance, structural neuroimaging, vascular markers, and blood parameters were assayed. We found a significant increase in executive functions after LC-n3-FA compared with placebo (P = 0.023). In parallel, LC-n3-FA exerted beneficial effects on white matter microstructural integrity and gray matter volume in frontal, temporal, parietal, and limbic areas primarily of the left hemisphere, and on carotid intima media thickness and diastolic blood pressure. Improvements in executive functions correlated positively with changes in omega-3-index and peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and negatively with changes in peripheral fasting insulin. This double-blind randomized interventional study provides first-time evidence that LC-n3-FA exert positive effects on brain functions in healthy older adults, and elucidates underlying mechanisms. Our findings suggest novel strategies to maintain cognitive functions into old age.
AB - Higher intake of seafish or oil rich in long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-n3-FA) may be beneficial for the aging brain. We tested in a prospective interventional design whether high levels of supplementary LC-n3-FA would improve cognition, and addressed potential mechanisms underlying the effects. Sixty-five healthy subjects (50-75 years, 30 females) successfully completed 26 weeks of either fish oil (2.2 g/day LC-n3-FA) or placebo intake. Before and after the intervention period, cognitive performance, structural neuroimaging, vascular markers, and blood parameters were assayed. We found a significant increase in executive functions after LC-n3-FA compared with placebo (P = 0.023). In parallel, LC-n3-FA exerted beneficial effects on white matter microstructural integrity and gray matter volume in frontal, temporal, parietal, and limbic areas primarily of the left hemisphere, and on carotid intima media thickness and diastolic blood pressure. Improvements in executive functions correlated positively with changes in omega-3-index and peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and negatively with changes in peripheral fasting insulin. This double-blind randomized interventional study provides first-time evidence that LC-n3-FA exert positive effects on brain functions in healthy older adults, and elucidates underlying mechanisms. Our findings suggest novel strategies to maintain cognitive functions into old age.
KW - Aged
KW - Aging/blood
KW - Analysis of Variance
KW - Anthropometry
KW - Brain/anatomy & histology
KW - Carotid Intima-Media Thickness
KW - Cholesterol/blood
KW - Cognition/drug effects
KW - Double-Blind Method
KW - Fasting/blood
KW - Fatty Acids, Omega-3/pharmacology
KW - Female
KW - Gray Matter/drug effects
KW - Humans
KW - Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
KW - Lipoproteins/blood
KW - Magnetic Resonance Imaging
KW - Male
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Neuropsychological Tests
KW - Prospective Studies
KW - Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
KW - White Matter/drug effects
KW - intima media thickness
KW - cognitive aging
KW - executive functions
KW - voxel-based morphometry
KW - diffusion tensor imaging
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84910675089&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/cercor/bht163
DO - 10.1093/cercor/bht163
M3 - Article
C2 - 23796946
VL - 24
SP - 3059
EP - 3068
JO - Cerebral Cortex
JF - Cerebral Cortex
SN - 1047-3211
IS - 11
ER -