The effects of dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on attention and impulsivity in an animal model of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Authors

  • Ewelina Makulska-Gertruda Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg
  • Joachim Hauser Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg
  • Thomas A Sontag Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg
  • Klaus W Lange Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31989/ffhd.v4i7.4

Abstract

Background: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the commonest psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. The main symptoms of ADHD are hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. Both etiology and neurobiological basis of ADHD are unknown. In this context, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), especially omega-3 (n-3) PUFAs, have become a focus of interest. The symptoms of ADHD have been suggested to be associated with a deficiency of n-3 PUFAs. In addition, the impact of a supply of dietary n-3 PUFAs in the treatment of ADHD has frequently been discussed.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of n-3 PUFA supplementation on attention and impulsivity in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) which has been proposed to be a valid genetic animal model of ADHD.

Methods: Seven-week-old male SHRs were randomly divided into two groups of 15 rats and fed one of two experimental diets (n-3 PUFA-enriched or n-3 PUFA-deficient) prior to and during behavioral testing. Attention and impulsivity were assessed using a three-choice-serial-reaction-time-task (3CSRTT) which is based on the five-choice-serial-reaction-time-task. The experiment was performed with three-month-old rats.

Results: Our findings demonstrate a marked difference between groups regarding impulsivity but not attention. The n-3 PUFA-enriched diet significantly reduced impulsivity in SHRs compared with rats fed with the n-3 PUFA-deficient diet.

Conclusion: The present data show a decrease in impulsivity following a dietary n-3 PUFA supplementation, but no changes in attention. A possible explanation for these results is that the attention displayed by SHR may not be linked to n-3 PUFA supply. It is important to note that inattention and impulsiveness are two of the main symptoms of ADHD. Our results regarding dietary n-3 PUFA supply may support the positive findings in human studies demonstrating that n-3 PUFA administration can improve the cognitive or behavioral symptoms in children with ADHD.

Key words: omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, animal model, spontaneously hypertensive rat, attention, impulsivity, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Downloads

Published

2014-07-24

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 7 (2014): July 2014

Section

Research Articles

License

Authors retain the copyright of their articles and grant the Functional Food Center (FFC) and its journals the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including commercial use, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Authors may post and share their published work freely, provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged.

By submitting to this journal, authors confirm that their manuscripts are original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that they hold the necessary rights to grant this license. The Functional Food Center encourages open scientific exchange and allows derivative and extended works, provided attribution to the original publication is maintained.