Alterations of attention and impulsivity in the rat following a transgenerational decrease in dietary omega-3 fatty acids
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly the omega-3 PUFAs, are thought to be involved in neuronal processes, to play a role in neurodevelopmental disorders and to be important for the integrity of central nervous system functioning. The present study investigated the effects of nutritional...
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Tsinghua University Press
2018-03-01
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| Series: | Food Science and Human Wellness |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213453017301258 |
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| author | Joachim Hauser Ewelina Stollberg Andreas Reissmann Ivo Kaunzinger Klaus W. Lange |
| author_facet | Joachim Hauser Ewelina Stollberg Andreas Reissmann Ivo Kaunzinger Klaus W. Lange |
| author_sort | Joachim Hauser |
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| description | Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly the omega-3 PUFAs, are thought to be involved in neuronal processes, to play a role in neurodevelopmental disorders and to be important for the integrity of central nervous system functioning. The present study investigated the effects of nutritional omega-3 PUFAs on attentional functions and impulsive behavior in Wistar rats. For this purpose, female Wistar rats were fed an omega-3 deficient diet over several generations, and the dams of the seventh generation were randomly assigned to two diet groups and fed an omega-3 deficient or an omega-3 sufficient diet. In addition, a group of previously untreated dams was fed an omega-3 sufficient diet. The male offspring of these three diet groups were tested using an established paradigm for the assessment of attention and impulsive behavior, i.e. a modified version of the five-choice-serial-reaction-time task (5CSRTT). The present data show that the deficiency of omega-3 PUFAs over generations led to substantial changes in attentional processes and impulsive behaviors. The impairments associated with an omega-3 deficiency were partly corrected by treatment with the omega-3 sufficient diet in the last generation of the omega-3 deficient group which showed substantial improvements in attention parameters. While there were no significant effects of dietary modifications on psychomotor activity levels, there was some evidence for changes in impulsive behavior. In conclusion, transgenerational dietary changes in the availability of omega-3 PUFAs led to changes in attentional processes and impulsive behavior in rats, supporting the hypothesis that omega-3 PUFAs play a role in cognitive and behavioral processes. The present findings offer a promising approach in the investigation of the role of omega-3 PUFAs in a variety of cognitive and behavioral domains. Keywords: Omega-3 fatty acid, Polyunsaturated fatty acids, Attention, Impulsivity, Activity, Rat, Neurodevelopmental disorders, Psychiatric disorders |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3fc2102b5d7141259acc7ca96938bd10 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2213-4530 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2018-03-01 |
| publisher | Tsinghua University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Food Science and Human Wellness |
| spelling | doaj-art-3fc2102b5d7141259acc7ca96938bd102025-02-02T23:24:41ZengTsinghua University PressFood Science and Human Wellness2213-45302018-03-01714956Alterations of attention and impulsivity in the rat following a transgenerational decrease in dietary omega-3 fatty acidsJoachim Hauser0Ewelina Stollberg1Andreas Reissmann2Ivo Kaunzinger3Klaus W. Lange4Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, GermanyDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, GermanyDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, GermanyDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, GermanyCorresponding author at: Institute of Psychology, University of Regensburg, 93040, Regensburg, Germany.; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, GermanyPolyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly the omega-3 PUFAs, are thought to be involved in neuronal processes, to play a role in neurodevelopmental disorders and to be important for the integrity of central nervous system functioning. The present study investigated the effects of nutritional omega-3 PUFAs on attentional functions and impulsive behavior in Wistar rats. For this purpose, female Wistar rats were fed an omega-3 deficient diet over several generations, and the dams of the seventh generation were randomly assigned to two diet groups and fed an omega-3 deficient or an omega-3 sufficient diet. In addition, a group of previously untreated dams was fed an omega-3 sufficient diet. The male offspring of these three diet groups were tested using an established paradigm for the assessment of attention and impulsive behavior, i.e. a modified version of the five-choice-serial-reaction-time task (5CSRTT). The present data show that the deficiency of omega-3 PUFAs over generations led to substantial changes in attentional processes and impulsive behaviors. The impairments associated with an omega-3 deficiency were partly corrected by treatment with the omega-3 sufficient diet in the last generation of the omega-3 deficient group which showed substantial improvements in attention parameters. While there were no significant effects of dietary modifications on psychomotor activity levels, there was some evidence for changes in impulsive behavior. In conclusion, transgenerational dietary changes in the availability of omega-3 PUFAs led to changes in attentional processes and impulsive behavior in rats, supporting the hypothesis that omega-3 PUFAs play a role in cognitive and behavioral processes. The present findings offer a promising approach in the investigation of the role of omega-3 PUFAs in a variety of cognitive and behavioral domains. Keywords: Omega-3 fatty acid, Polyunsaturated fatty acids, Attention, Impulsivity, Activity, Rat, Neurodevelopmental disorders, Psychiatric disordershttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213453017301258 |
| spellingShingle | Joachim Hauser Ewelina Stollberg Andreas Reissmann Ivo Kaunzinger Klaus W. Lange Alterations of attention and impulsivity in the rat following a transgenerational decrease in dietary omega-3 fatty acids Food Science and Human Wellness |
| title | Alterations of attention and impulsivity in the rat following a transgenerational decrease in dietary omega-3 fatty acids |
| title_full | Alterations of attention and impulsivity in the rat following a transgenerational decrease in dietary omega-3 fatty acids |
| title_fullStr | Alterations of attention and impulsivity in the rat following a transgenerational decrease in dietary omega-3 fatty acids |
| title_full_unstemmed | Alterations of attention and impulsivity in the rat following a transgenerational decrease in dietary omega-3 fatty acids |
| title_short | Alterations of attention and impulsivity in the rat following a transgenerational decrease in dietary omega-3 fatty acids |
| title_sort | alterations of attention and impulsivity in the rat following a transgenerational decrease in dietary omega 3 fatty acids |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213453017301258 |
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