Cerebral asymmetry and behavioral lateralization in rats chronically lacking n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
BACKGROUND
Anatomic and functional brain lateralization underlies hemisphere specialization for cognitive and motor control, and deviations from the normal patterns of asymmetry appear to be related to behavioral deficits. Studies on n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) deficiency and behavioral impairments led us to postulate that a chronic lack of n-3 PUFA can lead to changes in lateralized behavior by affecting structural or neurochemical patterns of asymmetry in motor-related brain structures.


METHODS
We compared the effects of a chronic n-3 PUFA deficient diet with a balanced diet on membrane phospholipid fatty acids composition and immunolabeling of choline acetyltransferase (ChAt), as a marker of cholinergic neurons, in left and right striatum of rats. Lateral motor behavior was assessed by rotation and paw preference.


RESULTS
Control rats had an asymmetric PUFA distribution with a right behavioral preference, whereas ChAt density was symmetrical. In deficient rats, the cholinergic neuron density was 30% lower on the right side, associated with a loss of PUFA asymmetry and behavior laterality. They present higher rotation behavior, and significantly more of them failed the handedness test.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that a lack of n-3 PUFA is linked with a lateral behavior deficit, possibly leading to cognitive disturbances.
Vancassel
Sylvie
S
INRA Laboratoire de Nutrition et Sécurité Alimentaire, Jouy-en-Josas, France. Sylvie.Vancassel@jouy.inra.fr
Aïd
Sabah
S
Pifferi
Fabien
F
Morice
Elise
E
Nosten-Bertrand
Marika
M
Chalon
Sylvie
S
Lavialle
Monique
M
D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D004041:Dietary Fats; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D000109:Acetylcholine