Omega-3 Fatty Acids as a Putative Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a global public health epidemic. In the US alone, more than 3 million people sustain a TBI annually. It is one of the most disabling injuries as it may cause motor and sensory deficits and lead to severe cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial impairment, crippling vital areas of higher functioning. Fueled by the recognition of TBI as the "signature injury" in our wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its often devastating impact on athletes playing contact sports, interest in TBI and TBI research has increased dramatically. Unfortunately, despite increased awareness of its detrimental consequences, there has been little progress in developing effective TBI interventions. Recent evidence, however, strongly indicates that nutritional intervention may provide a unique opportunity to enhance the neuronal repair process after TBI. To date, two omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), have the most promising laboratory evidence for their neuro-restorative capacities in TBI. Although both animal models and human studies of brain injuries suggest they may provide benefits, there has been no clinical trial evaluating the effects of n-3 fatty acids on resilience to, or treatment, of TBI. This article reviews the known functions of n-3 fatty acids in the brain and their specific role in the cellular and biochemical pathways underlying neurotraumatic injury. We also highlight recent studies on the therapeutic impact of enhanced omega 3 intake in vivo, and how this may be a particularly promising approach to improving functional outcome in patients with TBI.

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation Improves Neurologic Recovery and Attenuates White Matter Injury after Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury

“…Therefore, attenuation in oligodendrocyte degeneration should improve the prognosis of TBI. 31 In the present study, long-term dietary supplementation with o-3 PUFAs elicited robust protection against sensorimotor and cognitive deficits in our murine TBI model. This protective dietary strategy has already shown much success in other paradigms 6,32,33 and can be used in conjunction with moderate hypothermia, which has shown some success in preventing oligodendrocytes degeneration.…”

Resolvins AT-D1 and E1 differentially impact functional outcome, post-traumatic sleep, and microglial activation following diffuse brain injury in the mouse

“…Further research is warranted to determine the mechanism(s) through which AT-RvD1 improved functional outcome from TBI. Regardless, the omega-3 fatty acids and likely their derivatives can impart functional recovery from TBI 65 , indicating that each derivative may target a specific pathophysiological process in a combination therapy manner.…”

Attenuation of Lead-Induced Neurotoxicity by Omega-3 Fatty Acid in Rats

“…Treatment with omega-3FA has been found to restore cellular functions, reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, repair cellular damage and mitigate the activation of apoptotic processes after traumatic brain injury in human [71] . Earlier, we have reported that long-term lead exposure produces loss of pigmentation, perinuclear hollow and appearance of diffused oedema in the brain regions and causes alterations in the normal functions performed by them.…”