title: Long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake is associated positively with corticolimbic gray matter volume in healthy adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In animals, dendritic arborization and levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor are positively associated with intake of the omega-3 fatty acids. Here, we test whether omega-3 fatty acid intake in humans varies with individual differences in gray matter volume, an in vivo, systems-level index of neuronal integrity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-five healthy adults completed two 24h dietary recall interviews. Intake of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids was categorized by tertiles. Regional gray matter volumes in a putative emotional brain circuitry comprised of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), amygdala and hippocampus were calculated using optimized voxel-based morphometry on high-resolution structural magnetic resonance images.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Region of interest analyses revealed positive associations between reported dietary omega-3 intake and gray matter volume in the subgenual ACC, the right hippocampus and the right amygdala, adjusted for total gray matter volume of brain. Unconstrained whole-brain analyses confirmed that higher intake of omega-3 fatty acids was selectively associated with increased greater gray matter volume in these and not other regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher reported consumption of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids is associated with greater gray matter volume in nodes of a corticolimbic circuitry supporting emotional arousal and regulation. Such associations may mediate previously observed effects of omega-3 fatty acids on memory, mood and affect regulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States. conklinSM@UPMC.Edu
authors.forename: Sarah M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Conklin
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Gianaros
authors.forename: Sarah M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Jeffrey K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Ahmad R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Hariri
authors.forename: Stephen B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Manuck
authors.forename: Matthew F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Muldoon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008032:Limbic System / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000187:drug effects*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3