Epidemiologie de la nutrition et des comportements alimentaires, Centre INSERM U897-Epidemiologie-Biostatistique, Bordeaux, France.
Neurology. 2012 Aug 14;79(7):642-50. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e318264e394. Epub 2012 Aug 1.
The long-chain ω-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are potential candidates for interventions to delay Alzheimer disease (AD), but evidence from clinical studies is mixed. We aimed at determining whether plasma levels of EPA or DHA predict atrophy of medial temporal lobe (MTL) gray matter regions in older subjects.
A total of 281 community dwellers from the Three-City Study, aged 65 years or older, had plasma fatty acid measurements at baseline and underwent MRI examinations at baseline and at 4 years. We studied the association between plasma EPA and DHA and MTL gray matter volume change at 4 years.
Higher plasma EPA, but not DHA, was associated with lower gray matter atrophy of the right hippocampal/parahippocampal area and of the right amygdala (p < 0.05, familywise error corrected). Based on a mean right amygdala volume loss of 6.0 mm(3)/y (0.6%), a 1 SD higher plasma EPA (+0.64% of total plasma fatty acids) at baseline was related to a 1.3 mm(3) smaller gray matter loss per year in the right amygdala. Higher atrophy of the right amygdala was associated with greater 4-year decline in semantic memory performances and more depressive symptoms.
The amygdala, which develops neuropathology in the early stage of AD and is involved in the pathogenesis of depression, may be an important brain structure involved in the association between EPA and cognitive decline and depressive symptoms.
长链 ω-3 脂肪酸二十碳五烯酸（EPA）和二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）是可能用于干预以延缓阿尔茨海默病（AD）的候选物，但来自临床研究的证据存在差异。我们旨在确定 EPA 或 DHA 的血浆水平是否可预测老年受试者内侧颞叶（MTL）灰质区域的萎缩。
共有 281 名来自三城市研究的社区居民，年龄在 65 岁或以上，在基线时有血浆脂肪酸测量值，并在基线和 4 年时进行了 MRI 检查。我们研究了基线时血浆 EPA 和 DHA 与 4 年后 MTL 灰质体积变化之间的关系。
较高的血浆 EPA，但不是 DHA，与右侧海马/旁海马区和右侧杏仁核的灰质萎缩较低相关（p <0.05，经家族性错误校正）。基于右侧杏仁核体积每年平均减少 6.0mm³/年（0.6%），基线时血浆 EPA 增加 1 个标准差（+0.64%的总血浆脂肪酸）与每年右侧杏仁核灰质损失减少 1.3mm³相关。右侧杏仁核的更大萎缩与语义记忆表现的 4 年下降更大和更多的抑郁症状相关。
杏仁核在 AD 的早期阶段出现神经病理学改变，并且与抑郁的发病机制有关，可能是与 EPA 和认知能力下降及抑郁症状相关的重要脑结构。
