Diet, lipids and brain development.
Brain development is a sequential anatomical process characterised by specific well-defined stages of growth and maturation. One of the fundamental and necessary events in the normal development of the central nervous system in vertebrates is the formation of a myelin sheath. It is becoming more evident that this process is influenced by dietary lipids. A number of findings have indicated that the administration of a diet deficient in essential fatty acids during development causes hypomyelination in the rat brain. Our studies have shown that lipids can also play a role in accelerating myelinogenesis in the brain of rats whose mothers had been fed, during pregnancy and lactation, a lipid fraction extracted from yeast grown on n-alkanes. Further studies have shown that accelerated myelinogenesis is connected to a precocious appearance of behavioural reflexes. Thus, the use of particular lipids in human nutrition must be carefully screened for possible effects on brain development.
Salvati
S
S
Neurochemistry Section, Laboratory of Metabolism and Pathological Biochemistry, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy. salvatis@iss.it
Attorri
L
L
Avellino
C
C
Di Biase
A
A
Sanchez
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002175:Candida / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000494:pharmacology; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000378:metabolism; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009185:Myelin Proteins; D018991:Myelin Proteolipid Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018992:Myelin-Associated Glycoprotein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D063308:Myelin-Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D014714:Vertebrates
D004041:Dietary Fats; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; C571326:MOG protein, human; C571327:Mog protein, mouse; C571328:Mog protein, rat; D009185:Myelin Proteins; D018991:Myelin Proteolipid Protein; D018992:Myelin-Associated Glycoprotein; D063308:Myelin-Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein; D012333:RNA, Messenger