Docosahexaenoic acid

Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) is an omega-3 fatty acid abundantly present brain and retina. It can be obtained directly from fish oil and maternal milk. In Vitro: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is essential for the growth and functional development of the brain in infants. DHA is also required for maintenance of normal brain function in adults. The inclusion of plentiful DHA in the diet improves learning ability and memory^[1]. DHA is an essential requirement in every step of brain development like neural cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, synaptogenesis. The multiple double bonds and unique structure allow DHA to impart special membrane characteristics for effective cell signaling. Many development disorders like dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia etc. are causally related to decreased level of DHA^[2]. DHA is a potent RXR ligand inducing robust RXR activation already at low micro molar concentrations. The EC₅₀ for RXRα activation by DHA is about 5-10 μM fatty acid^[3]. In Vivo: Docosahexaenoic acid administration over 10 weeks significantly reduces the number of reference memory errors, without affecting the number of working memory errors, and significantly increases the docosahexaenoic acid content and the docosahexaenoic acid/arachidonic acid ratio in both the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex^[4]. DHA treatment exerts neuroprotective actions on an experimental mouse model of PD. There is a decrease tendency in brain lipid oxidation of MPTP mice but it does not significantly^[5].