title: Deficit in prepulse inhibition in mice caused by dietary n-3 fatty acid deficiency.
abstract: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) may be biosynthesized from a precursor alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) or obtained preformed in the diet. Dams were fed four diets with different levels of the various n-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation, and their offspring were weaned to the same diets: "n-3 Deficient," containing (as % total fatty acids) 0.07% of LNA; "Low LNA" (0.4%); "High LNA" (4.8%); and a "DHA + EPA" diet, containing 0.4% of LNA, 2% DHA, and 2% EPA. Sensorimotor gating was measured by prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response in C57Bl6 mice. The n-3 Deficient and Low LNA diets caused a substantial deficit in PPI compared to the DHA + EPA diet, whereas the High LNA diet induced a less pronounced, but significant reduction of PPI. These are the first data that demonstrate a deficit in sensorimotor gating in rodents caused by an inadequate amount of the n-3 fatty acids in the diet. Our results differentiate the effects of a High LNA diet from one with added EPA and DHA even though the difference in brain DHA content is only 12% between these dietary groups.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry & Biophysics, National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. idahms@martek.com
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fedorova
authors.forename: Anita R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Alvheim
authors.forename: Nahed
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hussein
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Salem
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004032:Diet; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D008055:Lipids / Q000172:deficiency*; D008098:Litter Size; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000378:metabolism; D055139:Sensory Gating / Q000502:physiology*; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid