The corollaries of the obesity epidemic that plagues developed societies
are malnutrition and resulting biochemical imbalances. Low levels of
essential n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have been linked
to neuropsychiatric diseases, but the underlying synaptic alterations
are mostly unknown. The authors found that lifelong n-3 PUFAs dietary
insufficiency specifically ablates long-term synaptic depression
mediated by endocannabinoids in the prelimbic prefrontal cortex and
accumbens. In n-3-deficient mice, presynaptic cannabinoid CB(1)
receptors (CB(1)Rs) normally responding to endocannabinoids were
uncoupled from their effector G(i/o) proteins. Finally, the
dietary-induced reduction of CB(1)R functions in mood-controlling
structures was associated with impaired emotional behavior. These
findings identify a plausible synaptic substrate for the behavioral
alterations caused by the n-3 PUFAs deficiency that is often observed in
western diets.
Mammalian diets deficient in DHA have been associated with reduced
cognitive ability and behavior connected to emotional activity. The
authors of this study also noted that despite their high caloric
content, Western diets are “poor in essential nutrients and notorious
for their low levels” of n-3 PUFAs.
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Lafourcade,
M., Larrieu T., Mato, S., Duffaud, A., Sepers, M., Matias, I., De Smedt-Peyrusse,
V., Labrousse, VF., Bretillon, L., Matute, C., Rodríguez-Puertas, R., Layé, S.,
& Manzoni, OJ. (2011). Nutritional omega-3 deficiency abolishes
endocannabinoid-mediated neuronal functions. Nature neuroscience, 14 (3), 345-50 PMID:21278728
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