Gray and White Matter Brain Volume in Aged Rats Raised on n -3 Fatty Acid Deficient Diets

Omega-3 or n -3 fatty acids, especially docosahexaenoic acid, are important structural lipids in the brain. Their deficiency leads to a number of sensory, cognitive and behavioral effects. In previous studies, we showed that n -3 deficiency led to a decrease in the neuronal size of a number of brain regions in young rats. In particular, the neuronal size in the hippocampus CA1-CA3 layers decreased with a slight increase in the volumes of these layers. Therefore, we asked whether fatty acid deficiency could affect rat brain morphology in older animals. To address this question, we carried out gross morphological analysis using Magnetic Resonance Imaging on the gray and white matter volumes of brains in older rats (>15 months) that were raised on n -3 deficient diets for three generations. We did not detect any differences in the total or regional gray and white matter volumes of brains of old rats maintained on a n -3 deficient or supplemented diet.