Essential Fatty Acids In Psychiatric Disorders

长期过量饮酒会耗尽大脑储存的omega-3脂肪酸，而omega-3脂肪酸是最佳神经功能所必需的。在我们正在进行的攻击性酒精患者的临床试验中，我们确定每天2.8克欧米茄-3脂肪酸的治疗是否将减少1)攻击行为，2)改善5-羟色胺能功能的神经化学指标以及与冲动和酒精使用相关的其他神经递质3)减少渴望的措施4)降低复发风险。该方案是有效的，已经招募了96名受试者，并100%跟踪数据。初步结果表明，愤怒在12周内减少了33%(p&lt；0.0008)，复发天数有减少的趋势(55%，p=ns)。试点分析还表明，渴望措施的数量大幅减少。入院时较多的omega-3脂肪酸血浆状态与较少的脑萎缩相关，表明这些脂肪可能对酒精引起的脑萎缩具有保护作用。这项研究已经完成招募，正在进行分析。 这些发现补充了与Laure-Budens Branchey医学博士合作在多物质依赖受试者中进行的一项安慰剂对照临床试验，在该试验中，omega-3脂肪酸在4个月内将愤怒评分降低了50%。 在一项在急诊室接受故意自残的受试者的合作试验中，我们发现，每天服用2克欧米茄-3脂肪酸可以降低未来自杀念头、愤怒和抑郁的得分，同时改善积极的人生观。将这些发现推广到正常人群中，我们发现血浆omega-3脂肪酸水平较低与健康对照组中更多的神经质和更不随和的人相关。在匹兹堡大学与马尔登博士共同进行的一项观察性试验中。这些数据表明，在其他正常人群中，缺陷会损害情感。 当母亲的饮食摄入量不足时，她们在怀孕期间可能会耗尽omega-3必需脂肪酸。饮食不足可能会增加母亲出现抑郁症状的风险。初步数据来自于目前与亚利桑那大学医学博士Marlene Freeman合作进行的一项针对妊娠期抑郁症女性的omega-3脂肪酸公开试验。治疗8周后，抑郁症状平均减少43.5%。这些发现意义重大，因为它们为妊娠期抑郁症提供了一种治疗方法，不仅无毒，而且对孕妇和她们的婴儿有额外的健康益处。这些发现正在进行一项随机对照试验，该试验纳入了60名受试者。这些干预性试验的结果是根据雅芳亲子纵向研究(ALSPAC)中近14,500名妇女孕期饮食中omega-3脂肪酸摄入量的流行病学研究数据预测得出的。在对潜在的混杂因素进行严格检查后，研究结果是可靠的。 在一份重要的出版物中，我们发现，2004年FDA和EPA建议女性在怀孕期间限制海鲜消费，无意中对儿童造成了神经发育损害。母亲的海鲜摄入量低于建议的限量，其孩子出现同伴问题的风险更大，亲社会行为不良，言语智商低，在英国国家管理的标准化学术考试中表现较差。这项工作是与ALSPAC的研究合作进行的，调查了近9000名儿童。可以对这些数据进行评估，以确定怀孕期间或儿童早期摄入不足是否是未来药物滥用的风险因素。我们与Marc Schuckit医学博士和Jean Golding博士合作设计了一项研究，旨在前瞻性地捕捉这些儿童进入青春期后的最初饮酒行为。如果这被确定为风险因素，则可以计划进行预防研究。 符合推荐每日摄入量(RDA)标准的膳食摄入量是从两个数据来源计算出来的：跨国家数据集和ALSPAC队列研究。通过比较较多的海鲜摄入量和较低的四种精神疾病的患病率，以及较低的八种主要原因的死亡率，得出了剂量-反应关系。为了进一步完善这一发现，我们利用了观察到的结果，即来自种子油的omega-6脂肪酸与富含海鲜的omega-3脂肪酸竞争组织中的包含物。通过从种子油中摄入更少的omega-6脂肪酸，可以将降低疾病风险所需的omega-3脂肪酸的数量减少10倍。

Chronic excessive alcohol consumption depletes brain stores of omega-3 fatty acids which are necessary for optimal neural function. In our ongoing clinical trial of aggressive alcoholics, we determine if treatment with 2.8 g/d of omega-3 fatty acids will reduce 1) aggressive behaviors, 2) improve neurochemical measures of serotonergic function as well as other neurotransmitters associate with impulsivity and alcohol use 3) reduce measures of craving 4) reduce risk of relapse. This protocol is active and has enrolled 96 subjects with 100% tracking of data. Preliminary results indicate that anger is reduced by 33% (p<0.0008) in 12 weeks and a trend towards reduction in number of relapse days (55%, p= ns). Pilot analyses also suggest a substantial reduction in craving measures. Greater omega-3 fattty acid plasma status on admission correlated with less brain atrophy indicating that these fatty may protect from alcohol induced brain atrophy. The study has completed enrollemnt and is under analysis. These findings complement a placebo controlled clinical trial conducted with collaboration with Laure-Budens Branchey, M.D., among polysubstance dependent subjects where omega-3 fatty acids reduced anger scores by 50% over 4 months. In a collaborative trial among subjects admitted to an emergency room with deliberate self harm, we found that 2 g/d of omega-3 fatty acids reduced future suicidal thinking, anger and depression scores while improving positive outlooks to life. Extending these findings to normative populations, we found that lower plasma levels of omega-3 fatty acids correlated with greater neuroticism and less agreeableness among healthy controls. In an observational trial conduced with Dr. Muldoon at the University of Pittsburgh. These data indicate that deficiencies impair affect in otherwise normal populations. Mothers can become depleted of omega-3 essential fatty acids during pregnancy when their dietary intake is inadequate. Dietary deficiencies may increase the risk of depressive symptoms for the mothers. Preliminary data is available from an open trial of omega-3 fatty acids among women with depression during pregnancy currently being conducted in collaboration with Marlene Freeman, MD at the University of Arizona. Depressive symptoms were reduced an average of 43.5 % during 8 weeks of treatment. These findings are significant as they offer a treatment for depression during pregnancy that is not only non-toxic, but has additional health benefits to pregnant women and their babies. These findings are being followed up with a randomized, controlled trial which has enrolled n=60 subjects. The results of these interventional trials were predicted from data from an epidemiological study of the dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy among nearly 14,500 women enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Findings were robust after rigorous examination of potential confounding factors. In a major publication we found that the 2004 FDA and EPA advisory for women to limit seafood consumption during pregnancy inadvertently creates neurodevelopmental harm to the children. The children of mothers who ate seafood below the limit advised had greater risks of peer problems, poor prosocial behaviors and low verbal IQ and poorer performance on British nationally administered standardized academic tests. The work was conducted in collaboration with the ALSPAC study and examined nearly 9,000 children. These data can be evaluated to determine if inadequate intake during pregnancy or early childhood is a risk factor for future substance abuse. We have collaborated with Marc Schuckit, M.D and Jean Golding, Ph.D. in designing a study to prospectively capture initial drinking behavior of these children as they enter adolescence. If this is identified as a risk factor, prevention studies can be planned. Dietary intakes that meet criteria for Recommended Daily Intakes (RDAs) have been calculated from two spopurces of data: cross-national data sets and the ALSPAC cohort study. Dose response relationships were derived comparing greater intake of seafood and lower prevalence rates of four psychiatric disorders and lower mortality rates of eight major causes. In order to further refine this finding we utilized the observation that the omega-6 fatty acids from seed oils compete for inclusion in tissues with omega-3 fatty acids, which are rich in seafood. The amount of omega-3 fatty acids required to reduce risk of illness can be reduced 10-fold by consuming fewer omega-6 fatty acids from seed oils.