title: The effects of nutritional polyunsaturated fatty acids on locomotor activity in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: The present study investigated the effects of nutritional omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on locomotor activity in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), which are used as an animal model of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). For 6 weeks, two groups of randomly assigned SHRs received food either enriched with or deficient in omega-3 fatty acids (based on the American Institute of Nutrition-93 G/AIN93G). Using an open field, locomotor activity was subsequently assessed for 6 days. A marked difference in locomotor activity as assessed by the distance travelled in the open field was found between the two groups of rats. In comparison with rats fed with omega-3 fatty acid-enriched food, the animals on the omega-3 fatty acid-deficient diet showed a significantly higher locomotor activity. The present findings demonstrated that nutritional enrichment with omega-3 fatty acids was associated with reduced motor activity in an established animal model of ADHD and support the notion that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may play a role in the pathophysiology of ADHD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, 93040, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.forename: Ewelina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Makulska-Gertruda
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reissmann
authors.forename: Thomas-A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Sontag
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tucha
authors.forename: Klaus W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Lange
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3