title: The effect of omega-3 fatty acids on psychophysiological assessment for the secondary prevention of posttraumatic stress disorder: an open-label pilot study.
abstract: Our recent pilot study has shown that the supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) immediately after a traumatic event may be effective toward the secondary prevention of post-traumatic disorder (PTSD). To lay the groundwork for addressing the mechanism by which omega-3 fatty acids can prevent PTSD, we analyzed its psychophysiological data. The psychophysiological data included heart rate, skin conductance, and continuous blood pressure during patient subjection to startling tones and idiographic trauma-related cues. Of the 8 patients, 1 met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Compared to the seven patients without PTSD, one patient with PTSD showed relatively large reactivity to the startle tones. In contrast, this patient did not show large reactivity to the trauma-related cue during script-driven imagery. The combination of psychophysiological measurements in our randomized control trial should shed light on the underlying mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acids can prevent PTSD.
authors.affiliation: Kanazawa University, Kodaira, Japan. kenta16moon@se.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kenta
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumura
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Noguchi
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nishi
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D049669:History, 16th Century; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011603:Psychophysiology; D013216:Reflex, Startle / Q000502:physiology; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3