Cited by 70Fatty Acid Research and HealthNutritional Studies and DietAquaculture Nutrition and Growth

N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids through the Lifespan: Implication for Psychopathology

Open access
Pusceddu, Matteo M., Kelly, Philip, Stanton, Catherine, Cryan, John F., Dinan, Timothy G.·2016·International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The impact of lifetime dietary habits and their role in physical, mental, and social well-being has been the focus of considerable recent research. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as a dietary constituent have been under the spotlight for decades. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids constitute key regulating factors of neurotransmission, neurogenesis, and neuroinflammation and are thereby fundamental for development, functioning, and aging of the CNS. Of note is the fact that these processes are altered in various psychiatric disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, and Alzheimer's disease. DESIGN: Relevant literature was identified through a search of MEDLINE via PubMed using the following words, "n-3 PUFAs," "EPA," and "DHA" in combination with "stress," "cognition," "ADHD," "anxiety," "depression," "bipolar disorder," "schizophrenia," and "Alzheimer." The principal focus was on the role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids throughout the lifespan and their implication for psychopathologies. Recommendations for future investigation on the potential clinical value of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were examined. RESULTS: The inconsistent and inconclusive results from randomized clinical trials limits the usage of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in clinical practice. However, a body of literature demonstrates an inverse correlation between omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels and quality of life/ psychiatric diseases. Specifically, older healthy adults showing low habitual intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids benefit most from consuming them, showing improved age-related cognitive decline. CONCLUSIONS: Although further studies are required, there is an exciting and growing body of research suggesting that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may have a potential clinical value in the prevention and treatment of psychopathologies.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1093/ijnp/pyw078

Cites

191 of 191 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

1 retracted

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Pusceddu, M. M., Kelly, P., Stanton, C., Cryan, J. F., & Dinan, T. G.
Affiliations
Teagasc - The Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority (IE)
Corresponding author
Dinan, Timothy G.
Venue
International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
Published
2016-09-08
Volume
19
Issue
12
Pages
pyw078
ISSN
  • 1461-1457 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-5111
OpenAlex
W2512060323
Cited by
70
References
191
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 12
FWCI
1.61
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Arrow@dit (Dublin Institute of Technology) (acceptedVersion)
  • Cork Open Research Archive (University College Cork, Ireland) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
  • T-Stór (Teagasc) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Fatty Acid Research and Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
Keywords
omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, EPA, docosahexaenoic acid, psychopathology, lifespan, dietary habits, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety, neuroinflammation, neurogenesis, cognitive decline, aging, quality of life
MeSH terms
Age Factors, Aging, Animals, Mental Disorders, Brain, Cognition, Feeding Behavior, Humans, Mental Health, Risk Factors, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Protective Factors

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review