Abstract
Cognitive impairment is strongly associated with functional outcomes in psychiatric patients. Involvement of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LC-PUFA), in particular docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in brain functions is largely documented. DHA is incorporated into membrane phospholipids as structural component, especially in the central nervous system where it also has important functional effects. The aim of this review is to investigate the relationship between DHA and cognitive function in relation to mental disorders. Results from few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of DHA (alone or in combination) in psychotic, mood and neurodevelopmental disorders, respectively, suggest that no conclusive remarks can be drawn.
Highlights
The growing number of studies on the association of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFAs) on cognitive function and mental health, especially psychiatric illness, published in the last decades reflects growing interest in this area of research
The most recent trial we report is by Crippa et al [93] and, unlike the large majority of studies that explored the efficacy of PUFA supplementation in ADHD using mixed n-3 fatty acids, the aim of this research was to examine the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation as monotherapy in children aged 7 to 14 with ADHD
We found a growing number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing the efficacy of n-3 PUFAs alone or as added therapy in the treatment of different psychiatric disorders
Summary
The growing number of studies on the association of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFAs) on cognitive function and mental health, especially psychiatric illness, published in the last decades reflects growing interest in this area of research. We conducted a review of randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) which examined the role of n-3 PUFAs, in particular docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in maintaining or in treating cognitive functions in different mental disorders. Cognitive functioning can be defined as a collection of different abilities including memory, language, attention, perception, problem solving and mental imagery. These cognitive and practical competencies are the key to enhancing individual and community well-being and to living a life of purpose [1]. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) [2] there are six key domains: complex attention, executive function, Nutrients 2019, 11, 769; doi:10.3390/nu11040769 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
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