title: Reconsidering Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Bipolar Disorder: A Translational Picture.
abstract: Inflammation is an important mediator of pathophysiology in bipolar disorder. The omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) metabolic pathways participate in several inflammatory processes and have been linked through epidemiologic and clinical studies to bipolar disorder and its response to treatment. We review the proposed role of PUFA metabolism in neuroinflammation, modulation of brain PUFA metabolism by antimanic medications in rodent models, and anti-inflammatory pharmacotherapy in bipolar disorder and in major depressive disorder (MDD). Although the convergence of findings between preclinical and postmortem clinical data is compelling, we investigate why human trials of PUFA as treatment are mixed. We view the biomarker and treatment study findings in light of the evidence for the hypothesis that arachidonic acid hypermetabolism contributes to bipolar disorder pathophysiology and propose that a combined high n-3 plus low n-6 diet should be tested as an adjunct to current medication in future trials.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Dr, PO Box 850, Mail Code: HO73, Hershey, PA 17033-0850. esaunders@hmc.psu.edu.|Department of Psychiatry, Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.|Department of Psychiatry and Depression Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors: Erika F H
authors: EF
authors: Saunders
authors: Section on Nutritional Neurosciences, Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors: Christopher E
authors: CE
authors: Ramsden
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors: Mostafa S
authors: MS
authors: Sherazy
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors: Alan J
authors: AJ
authors: Gelenberg
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors: John M
authors: JM
authors: Davis
authors: Office of Scientific Director, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors: Stanley I
authors: SI
authors: Rapoport
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018692:Antimanic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D018692:Antimanic Agents; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D016718:Arachidonic Acid