T9. CROSS-SECTIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MEMBRANE FATTY ACID COMPOSITION AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY IN THE NEURAPRO-E STUDY

Background Converging evidence suggests that people at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis have depleted levels of several fatty acids (FAs), and that changes in omega-3 (n-3) FA levels may indicate a higher risk for transition to psychosis. However, limited information is available on how FA deficiencies relate to psychopathology in individuals with UHR phenotypes. Here, we report the relationship between membrane FA levels and symptom severity in a study of individuals at UHR for psychosis. Methods Data from 280 of 304 (92%) of participants of the NEURAPRO study, a multi-centre randomized-controlled trial of omega-3 fatty acids versus placebo, were used for the present analysis. All participants were aged between 13 and 40 years and met criteria for UHR for psychosis. Blood samples were collected at study baseline and month 6 (end-of-intervention). Membrane fatty acids were analysed using mass spectrometry as percentage of total fatty acids in erythrocytes. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated between baseline erythrocyte fatty acid levels and scores on the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Results Negative symptoms were positively correlated with one saturated FA (Tetracosanoic acid [24:0], R=0.272, p