Red cell and plasma fatty acid changes accompanying symptom remission in a patient with schizophrenia treated with eicosapentaenoic acid
by
Richardson AJ, Easton T, Puri BK.
Division of Neurosciences and Psychological Medicine,
Imperial College School of Medicine,
Charing Cross Campus,
St Dunstan's Road, London, UK.
alex.richardson@physiol.ox.ac.uk
Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2000 May;10(3):189-93

ABSTRACT

The administration of the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to a drug-naive patient with schizophrenia, untreated with conventional antipsychotic medication, led to a dramatic and sustained clinical improvement in both positive and negative symptoms. This was accompanied by a correction in erythrocyte membranes of abnormalities in both n-3 and n-6 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs). Therefore EPA is able to reverse the phospholipid abnormalities previously described in schizophrenia. This reversal is associated with, and is likely to be the cause of, the clinical improvement. In particular, EPA appears to have reversed the depletion of not only n-3 HUFAs, but also of membrane arachidonic acid, possibly via inhibition of HUFA-specific phospholipase A(2), an enzyme which removes HUFAs from the S(N)2 position of membrane phospholipids, or by activation of a fatty acid coenzyme A ligase. Correction by EPA of abnormalities in both enzyme systems is not ruled out.

EPA
DHA
SAMe
Dopamine
Schizophrenia
Low-fat blues
Food and mood
Neuroactive lipids
Omega 3 fatty acids
PUFAs for pain-relief
Mood, food and cognition
Lipids, depression and suicide
EPA for treatment-resistant depression
Ethyl-eicosapentaenoate as an antidepressant

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