title: Dietary omega-3 deficiency from gestation increases spinal cord vulnerability to traumatic brain injury-induced damage.
abstract: Although traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often associated with gait deficits, the effects of TBI on spinal cord centers are poorly understood. We seek to determine the influence of TBI on the spinal cord and the potential of dietary omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids to counteract these effects. Male rodents exposed to diets containing adequate or deficient levels of n-3 since gestation received a moderate fluid percussion injury when becoming 14 weeks old. TBI reduced levels of molecular systems important for synaptic plasticity (BDNF, TrkB, and CREB) and plasma membrane homeostasis (4-HNE, iPLA2, syntaxin-3) in the lumbar spinal cord. These effects of TBI were more dramatic in the animals exposed to the n-3 deficient diet. Results emphasize the comprehensive action of TBI across the neuroaxis, and the critical role of dietary n-3 as a means to build resistance against the effects of TBI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.forename: Cameron
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Rahul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.forename: Yumei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gomez-Pinilla
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000187:drug effects; D008055:Lipids / Q000172:deficiency*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008297:Male; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020813:Receptor, trkB / Q000378:metabolism; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D004041:Dietary Fats; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D008055:Lipids; D020813:Receptor, trkB