Verbal Memory Performance in Depressed Children and Adolescents: Associations with EPA but Not DHA and Depression Severity.

Sophie Emery,Ulrich Müller-Knapp,Mona Albermann,Suzanne Erb,Renate Drechsler,Bruno Rhiner,Lars Wöckel,Kristin Nalani,Michael Strumberger,Brigitte Contin-Waldvogel,Klaus Schmeck,Isabelle Häberling,Gregor Berger,Susanne Walitza,Martin Hersberger,Silke Bachmann,Noemi Baumgartner

doi:10.3390/nu12123630

Abstract

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have been described as positively associated with cognitive functioning. Current meta-analyses have identified eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) as potentially more effective than docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). An especially vulnerable subgroup that might benefit from these beneficial effects are depressed youths. In this study, we examined associations between red blood cell (RBC) DHA and EPA levels and depression severity and verbal memory performance in a sample of 107 moderately (n = 63) and severely (n = 44) depressed youths. The findings showed that youths with high RBC EPA levels had steeper learning curves compared to those with moderate or low RBC EPA levels (Pillai’s Trace = 0.195, p = 0.027, ηp2 = 0.097). No associations between RBC DHA levels or depression severity and verbal memory performance were observed. Our results further confirm previous findings indicating a more important role of EPA compared to DHA in relation to cognitive functioning. Future research should further investigate the differential role of EPA and DHA concerning cognitive functioning in depressed youths. Evidence supporting beneficial supplementation effects could potentially establish a recommendation for a natural and easily accessible intervention for cognitive improvement or remission.

Highlights

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 4.4% of the world’s population suffer from depression [1], with a lifetime prevalence rate of approximately 10%–15% [2,3]
The results reported by Rogers et al [79] showed no benefit of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) supplementation on cognition in adult individuals with mild to moderate depression
At the time of analysis, the subsample of patients that met all inclusion and no exclusion criteria and where blood samples were available consisted of 107 patients

Summary

Introduction

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 4.4% of the world’s population suffer from depression [1], with a lifetime prevalence rate of approximately 10%–15% [2,3]. The one-year prevalence rates are estimated to lie around 5% with a large range of approximately 0.2%–17% [6,7,8,9]. Depression has been deemed the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and years lived with disability (YLD) [11]. These findings highlight the burden that this disease poses on today’s youth and the devastating associated consequences

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