Maternal α‐linolenic acid supplementation during gestation and lactation alters postnatal brain development in the offspring

Abstract

Perinatal nutrition influences postnatal brain development, with long‐lasting effects on learning, memory and brain aging. ω‐3 fatty acids are essential for normal brain development. This study established that maternal perinatal α‐linolenic acid (ALA) availability modulates postnatal hippocampal development.C57BL/6 female mice were fed either an ALA control (C, 2 groups) or an ALA deficit diet (D, 2 groups) for 30 days prior to, and during gestation. One day prior to delivery and during the lactation period (20 days), mice from one C group and one D group were switched on an ALA supplemented diet (CS and DS, respectively). The remaining two groups continued on their initial diet until postnatal day 20 (P20, CC and DD, respectively). At P20, mothers and pups were sacrificed. Within the dentate gyrus of male pups (DG), mitosis and early neuronal differentiation were increased in the CS group, while apoptosis was increased in the DD group. Fatty acid (FA) profiling in the maternal livers and serum, and in the pups’ brains revealed changes of several ω‐3, −6, −9, and saturated FAs.Perinatal ALA availability contributes to the postnatal development of the DG by altering the proliferation and early neuronal differentiation of neural precursors. Changes within FAs are induced by maternal ALA availability.Funded by a grant to MN from the UNC Center for Excellence in Children's Nutrition sponsored by Mead Johnson Nutrition.