Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and in Particular DHA, Are Associated With Increased Attention Scores in Adolescents - Neuroscience News

Summary: DHA consumption was associated with improved capacity for selective and sustained attention in adolescents, while ALA lowered impulsive behaviors.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is associated with a greater capacity for selective and sustained attention in adolescents, while alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is associated with lower impulsivity, according to a study co-led by ISGlobal, a center supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation and the Pere Virgili Institute for Health Research (ISPV).

During adolescence, important structural and functional changes occur in the brain, especially in the prefrontal area, which plays a major role in controlling attention.

“Despite the established importance of DHA in brain development, few studies have evaluated whether it plays a role in the attention performance of healthy adolescents,” says Jordi Júlvez, IISPV researcher, ISGlobal research associate and coordinator of the study.

“In addition, the possible role of alpha-linoleic acid (ALA), another omega-3 but of plant origin, has not been as extensively studied,” he adds.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a higher intake of DHA and ALA was associated with an increased attention performance in a group of 332 adolescents from different schools in Barcelona.

The results show that higher levels of DHA are associated with greater selective and sustained attention and inhibitory attention.

In contrast, ALA was not associated with attention performance, but was associated with lower impulsivity.

“Red blood cell omega-3 fatty acids and attention scores in healthy adolescents” by Jordi Júlvez et al.

Red blood cell omega-3 fatty acids and attention scores in healthy adolescents.

In contrast to the abundant research on the omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in cognition, research on DHA and attention in healthy adolescents is scarce.

In this cross-sectional study conducted in 372 adolescents (13.8 ± 0.9 years-old), we determined the red blood cell proportions of DHA and ALA by gas chromatography (objective biomarkers of their long-term dietary intake) and measured attention scores through the Attention Network Test

Overall, our results suggest that DHA (reflecting its dietary intake) is associated with attention performance in typically developing adolescents