title: The potential relevance of docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid to the etiopathogenesis of childhood neuropsychiatric disorders.
abstract: Over the last 15 years, considerable interest has been given to the potential role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) for understanding pathogenesis and treatment of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. This review aims to systematically investigate the scientific evidence supporting the hypothesis on the omega-3 PUFAs deficit as a risk factor shared by different pediatric neuropsychiatric disorders. Medline PubMed database was searched for studies examining blood docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) status in children with neuropsychiatric disorders. Forty-one published manuscripts were compatible with the search criteria. The majority of studies on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism found a significant decrease in DHA levels in patients versus healthy controls. For the other conditions examined-depression, juvenile bipolar disorder, intellectual disabilities, learning difficulties, and eating disorders (EDs)-the literature was too limited to draw any stable conclusions. However, except EDs, findings in these conditions were in line with results from ADHD and autism studies. Results about EPA levels were too inconsistent to conclude that EPA could be associated with any of the conditions examined. Finally, correlational data provided, on one hand, evidence for a negative association between DHA and symptomatology, whereas on the other hand, evidence for a positive association between EPA and emotional well-being. Although the present review underlines the potential involvement of omega-3 PUFAs in the predisposition to childhood neuropsychiatric disorders, more observational and intervention studies across different diagnoses are needed, which should integrate the collection of baseline PUFA levels with their potential genetic and environmental influencing factors.
authors.affiliation: Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Associazione La Nostra Famiglia, via Don Luigi Monza 20, Bosisio Parini, 23842, Lecco, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tesei
authors.affiliation: Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Associazione La Nostra Famiglia, via Don Luigi Monza 20, Bosisio Parini, 23842, Lecco, Italy. alessandro.crippa@bp.lnf.it.|Department of Psychology, University of Milano, Bicocca, Milan, Italy. alessandro.crippa@bp.lnf.it.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crippa
authors.affiliation: Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Associazione La Nostra Famiglia, via Don Luigi Monza 20, Bosisio Parini, 23842, Lecco, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia Busti
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Ceccarelli
authors.affiliation: Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Associazione La Nostra Famiglia, via Don Luigi Monza 20, Bosisio Parini, 23842, Lecco, Italy.
authors.forename: Maddalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mauri
authors.affiliation: Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Associazione La Nostra Famiglia, via Don Luigi Monza 20, Bosisio Parini, 23842, Lecco, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molteni
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Agostoni
authors.affiliation: Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Associazione La Nostra Famiglia, via Don Luigi Monza 20, Bosisio Parini, 23842, Lecco, Italy.|Villa San Benedetto Hospital, Hermanas Hospitalarias, FoRiPsi, Albese con Cassano, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nobile
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D058027:Neuropsychiatry / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid
keywords: ADHD; Autism; Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA); Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA); Intellectual disability; Juvenile bipolar disorder