Quantitative Erythrocyte Omega-3 EPA Plus DHA Levels are Related to Higher Regional Cerebral Blood Flow on Brain SPECT
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The interrelationships between omega-3 fatty acids status, brain perfusion, and cognition are not well understood. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if SPECT brain imaging of cerebral perfusion and cognition varies as a function of omega-3 fatty acid levels. METHODS: A random sample of 166 study participants was drawn from a psychiatric referral clinical for which erythrocyte quantification of omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) plus docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (the Omega-3 Index) was available. Quantitative brain SPECT was done on 128 regions based on a standard anatomical Atlas. Persons with erythrocyte EPA+DHA concentrations were dichotomized based on membership in top 50th percentile versus bottom 50th percentile categories. Two-sample t-tests were done to identify statistically significant differences in perfusion between the percentile groups. Partial correlations were modeled between EPA+DHA concentration and SPECT regions. Neurocognitive status was assessed using computerized testing (WebNeuro) and was separately correlated to cerebral perfusion on brain SPECT imaging and omega-3 EPA+DHA levels. RESULTS: Partial correlation analyses showed statistically significant relationships between higher omega-3 levels and cerebral perfusion were in the right parahippocampal gyrus (r = 0.20, p = 0.03), right precuneus (r = 0.20, p = 0.03), and vermis subregion 6 (p = 0.21, p = 0.03). Omega-3 Index levels separately correlated to the feeling subsection of the WebNeuro (r = 0.25, p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Quantitative omega-3 EPA+DHA erythrocyte concentrations are independently correlated with brain perfusion on SPECT imaging and neurocognitive tests. These results have implications for the role of omega-3 fatty acids toward contributing to cognitive reserve.
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Lower omega-3 fatty acid levels are correlated with reduced brain blood flow to regions important for learning, memory, depression, and dementia.
“Furthermore, lower omega-3 fatty acid levels are correlated to reduced brain blood flow to regions important for learning, memory, depression, and dementia [104].”
From Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease: Beyond Symptomatic Therapies (2023) · cites this paper as [104]
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- Authors
- Amen, D. G., Harris, W. S., Kidd, P. M., Meysami, S., & Raji, C. A.
- Affiliations
- Amen Clinics (US)
- University of South Dakota (US)
- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (US)
- University of California San Francisco Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Amen, Daniel G.
- Venue
- Journal of Alzheimer s Disease
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2017-05-18
- Volume
- 58
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1189-1199
- ISSN
- 1387-2877 (ISSN-L)
- 1875-8908
- OpenAlex
- W2616114050
- Cited by
- 25
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 2.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Alzheimer s Disease (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Fatty Acid Research and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Keywords
- omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Brain, Cerebrovascular Circulation, Docosahexaenoic Acids, Erythrocytes, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Status Schedule, Middle Aged, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
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