1. Deficient Liver Biosynthesis of Docosahexaenoic Acid Correlates with Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer's Disease
- Author
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Astarita, Giuseppe, Jung, Kwang-Mook, Berchtold, Nicole C., Nguyen, Vinh Q., Gillen, Daniel L., Head, Elizabeth, Cotman, Carl W., and Piomelli, Daniele
- Subjects
polyunsaturated fatty-acids ,plasmalogen deficiency ,peroxisomal disorders ,bifunctional protein ,developing brain ,cell-survival ,amyloid-beta ,mouse model ,rat-liver ,diet - Abstract
Reduced brain levels of docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3), a neurotrophic and neuroprotective fatty acid, may contribute to cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. Here, we investigated whether the liver enzyme system that provides docosahexaenoic acid to the brain is dysfunctional in this disease. Docosahexaenoic acid levels were reduced in temporal cortex, mid-frontal cortex and cerebellum of subjects with Alzheimer's disease, compared to control subjects (P = 0.007). Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores positively correlated with docosahexaenoic/α-linolenic ratios in temporal cortex (P = 0.005) and mid-frontal cortex (P = 0.018), but not cerebellum. Similarly, liver docosahexaenoic acid content was lower in Alzheimer's disease patients than control subjects (P = 0.011). Liver docosahexaenoic/α-linolenic ratios correlated positively with MMSE scores (r = 0.78; P
- Published
- 2010