title: Alterations in neuronal morphology and synaptophysin expression in the rat brain as a result of changes in dietary n-6: n-3 fatty acid ratios.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) play important roles in brain fatty acid composition and behavior through their effects on neuronal properties and gene expression. The hippocampus plays an important role in the formation of memory, especially spatial memory and navigation. This study was conducted to examine the effects of PUFA and specifically different dietary n-6: n-3 fatty acid ratios (FAR) on the number and size of hippocampal neurons and the expression of synaptophysin protein in the hippocampus of rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty 3-week old male Sprague-Dawley rats were allotted into 4 groups. The animals received experimental diets with different n-6: n-3 FAR of either 65:1, 26.5:1, 22:1 or 4.5:1 for 14 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that a lowering dietary n-6: n-3 FAR supplementation can increase the number and size of neurons. Moreover, lowering the dietary n-6: n-3 FAR led to an increase in the expression of the pre-synaptic protein synaptophysin in the CA1 hippocampal subregion of the rat brain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings support the notion that decreasing the dietary n-6: n-3 FAR will lead to an intensified hippocampal synaptophysin expression and increased neuron size and proliferation in the rat brain.
authors.forename: Toktam
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hajjar
authors.forename: Yong Meng
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Goh
authors.forename: Mohamed Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rajion
authors.forename: Sharmili
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vidyadaran
authors.forename: Tan Ai
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Mahdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ebrahimi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000494:pharmacology; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6 / Q000494:pharmacology; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D016708:Synaptophysin