title: Polyunsaturated fatty acids and recurrent mood disorders: Phenomenology, mechanisms, and clinical application.
abstract: A body of evidence has implicated dietary deficiency in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in the pathophysiology and etiology of recurrent mood disorders including major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder. Cross-national and cross-sectional evidence suggests that greater habitual intake of n-3 PUFA is associated with reduced risk for developing mood symptoms. Meta-analyses provide strong evidence that patients with mood disorders exhibit low blood n-3 PUFA levels which are associated with increased risk for the initial development of mood symptoms in response to inflammation. While the etiology of this n-3 PUFA deficit may be multifactorial, n-3 PUFA supplementation is sufficient to correct this deficit and may also have antidepressant effects. Rodent studies suggest that n-3 PUFA deficiency during perinatal development can recapitulate key neuropathological, neurochemical, and behavioral features associated with mood disorders. Clinical neuroimaging studies suggest that low n-3 PUFA biostatus is associated with abnormalities in cortical structure and function also observed in mood disorders. Collectively, these findings implicate dietary n-3 PUFA insufficiency, particularly during development, in the pathophysiology of mood dysregulation, and support implementation of routine screening for and treatment of n-3 PUFA deficiency in patients with mood disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45219-0516, USA; Lindner Center of HOPE, Mason, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Messamore
authors.affiliation: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45224, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45237, USA.
authors.forename: Ronald J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Jandacek
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45219-0516, USA. Electronic address: robert.mcnamara@uc.edu.
authors.forename: Robert K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: McNamara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
keywords: Bipolar disorder; Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA); Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA); Major depressive disorder; Omega-3 fatty acids