Abstract
Neurogenesis occurs in limited areas of the adult mammalian brain, and has been reported in the hippocampus of rodents and man. Neurogenesis is enhanced in conditions associated with enhanced synaptic plasticity and following neuronal injury, suggesting a role for neurogenesis in cognition and brain repair. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been shown to promote hippocampal neurogenesis in a variety of models. Importantly, recent work has shown that the fat-1 transgenic mouse, an animal model of endogenous omega-3 PUFA enrichment, exhibits enhanced neurogenesis, with concomitant improvements in spatial memory compared to wild type mice. During ageing, the rate of neurogenesis declines significantly and there is a strong correlation between memory impairment in hippocampal-dependent tasks and this decline. Interestingly, there is a strong correlation between omega-3 PUFA and hippocampal-dependent memory tasks, and we have recently shown that supplementation of aged rats with omega-3 PUFAs partially reverses the age-related decline in neurogenesis. Thus omega-3 PUFAs positively influence neurogenesis, and these effects may contribute to improved cognitive performance. However, the mechanisms by which omega-3 PUFAs regulate neurogenesis remain unclear, although a number or putative targets have been suggested. The aims of this paper are to review the role of omega-3 PUFA in hippocampal neurogenesis, and explore some of the potential mechanisms of action which may underlie the observed effects.
Highlights
Neurogenesis is the process of generation of new neurons from neuronal precursor cells, and was first described in adult mammals in 1965, where it was identified in rodents (Altman and Das, 1965)
Adult neurogenesis has subsequently been shown to occur in two specific regions of the adult brain, the subventricular zone of the olfactory bulb and the subgranular layer of the hippocampal dentate gyrus, where is has been identified in all mammals studied to date, including man (Ehninger and Kempermann, 2008)
Increased neurogenesis in rodents has been described after ischaemia (Takagi et al, 1999), stroke (Darsalia et al, 2005) and following seizures (Parent et al, 1997), and neurogenesis is increased, in the hippocampus of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (Jin et al, 2004); where these increases may be an attempt at brain self-repair
Summary
Neurogenesis is the process of generation of new neurons from neuronal precursor cells, and was first described in adult mammals in 1965, where it was identified in rodents (Altman and Das, 1965). This review provides an overview of the effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus region of the hippocampus, and explores some of the potential mechanisms of action which may underlie the observed effects. Omega-3 PUFAs have an essential role in brain development and function (Innis, 2007) and beneficial effects of omega-3 PUFA treatment have consistently been demonstrated in a variety of hippocampal-dependent tasks.
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