Omega‐3 fatty acids and neurocognitive ability in young people at ultra‐high risk for psychosis

Abstract

Background: Neurocognitive impairments are core early features of psychosis and are observed in those at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis. The aim of the present study was to explore whether neurocognition is associated with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), as has been observed in other clinical populations.Method: Erythrocyte levels of total omega-3-and omega-6 PUFAs the omega-3/ omega-6 ratio, were measured in 265 UHR individuals. Six domains of neurocognition as well a Composite Score, were assessed using the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia. Pearson's correlations were used to assess the relationship between PUFAs and neurocognition. All analyses were controlled for tobacco smoking.

Effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on cognitive functioning in youth at ultra-high risk for psychosis: secondary analysis of the NEURAPRO randomised controlled trial

“…35 Indeed, a previous analysis of this sample did not show associations between n −3 PUFAs and most cognitive domains. 13 There was only one small positive correlation between verbal fluency and EPA and alpha-linolenic acid, although verbal fluency did not appear to benefit from supplementation in the present analysis. Thus, it is also possible that the UHR population is one of several clinical groups that do not appear to benefit from n −3 PUFA supplementation.…”

“…The result for the composite score, however, was more robust. Indeed, a previous correlation analysis of the present sample found a negative association between DHA and the composite score, 13 although it is unlikely that n−3 PUFA supplementation would inhibit cognitive function via the elevation of this biomarker and a negative correlation was not observed for EPA in that study. Alternatively, we speculated that the result may be attributed to the consumption of non-study n−3 PUFAs in the placebo group, and that the low adherence rate could have amplified this effect.…”

“… 4 Although evidence in UHR individuals is minimal, a small positive association between verbal fluency, EPA and its precursor alpha-linolenic acid, and between working memory and the omega-3/omega-6 ratio, has been observed. 13 One randomised controlled trial of 162 individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder found no impact of n −3 PUFA supplementation (500 mg/day EPA over 12–16 weeks) on cognitive functioning. 14 The authors suggested that supplementation may be less effective in their study sample, with most participants being middle-aged (mean age of 40 years) and unwell for two decades.…”

Evidence that complement and coagulation proteins are mediating the clinical response to omega-3 fatty acids: A mass spectrometry-based investigation in subjects at clinical high-risk for psychosis

“…Fasting blood samples were collected at baseline and 6-month follow-up. The molecular percentage of the total sum of the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in erythrocyte membrane rafts were measured based on the phosphatidyl-ethanolamine fraction using gas chromatography [ 53 ]. Total omega-3 PUFAs comprise of alpha linolenic acid (18:3), eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5), docosapentaenoic acid (22:5), and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6).…”

The association of plasma inflammatory markers with omega-3 fatty acids and their mediating role in psychotic symptoms and functioning: An analysis of the NEURAPRO clinical trial

“…Fasting plasma samples were collected at baseline and 6 months following the intervention. The molecular percentage of total fatty acid levels of EPA, DHA and n3-index (EPA + DHA) were measured using gas chromatography (McLaverty et al, 2021). The Phosphatidyl-ethanolamine (PE) fraction was used to determine the omega-3 FA content, because of their high abundancy in the lipid raft (Kim et al, 2016;Smesny et al, 2014;Alqarni et al, 2018).…”