Chronic n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid deficiency
alters dopamine vesicle density in the rat frontal cortex

by
Zimmer L, Delpal S, Guilloteau D,
Aioun J, Durand G, Chalon S
ISERM U316,
Laboratoire de Biophysique Medicale et Pharmaceutique,
Faculte de Pharmacie,
31 Avenue Monge,
37200, Tours, France.
Neurosci Lett 2000 Apr 21; 284(1-2):25-8


ABSTRACT

We studied the effects of a chronic deficiency in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) on the vesicle dopaminergic compartment in the frontal cortex of rats. Electronic micrographic analysis showed that the synaptic density and the clear vesicle density were similar in deficient and control rats. However, dopaminergic immunolabeling revealed a significantly decreased number of gold-labeled vesicles in the dopaminergic presynaptic terminals of the deficient rats. These findings demonstrate that dopamine cortical vesicles are specifically decreased in n-3 PUFA deficiency. The mechanism leading to this modification could involve several abnormalities (vesicle turn-over, membrane fluidity, vesicular monoamine transporter). This reduction in the dopaminergic vesicle pool constitutes the first structural support for the previously described modifications of dopamine metabolism in the frontal cortex. Such changes in dopamine neurotransmission could be involved in behavioral abnormalities occurring in n-3 PUFA deficient rats.
CRF
LHPA
5-HT1A
Serotonin
Anhedonia
Anticonvulsants
Evolution and emotion
The evolution of suicide
Shakespearean suicides
Omega-3 plus antidepressant
Alcohol, suicide and serotonin
How stress triggers depression
Suicide, serotonin and dopamine
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)
Omega-3 fatty acids and depression
Omega 3 fatty acids in bipolar disorder
Aging, omega-3 fatty acids and the brain
Antidepressant activity of omega-3 fatty acids
Ethyl-eicosapentaenoate as an antidepressant

Refs
and further reading

HOME
HedWeb
Nootropics
cocaine.wiki
Future Opioids
BLTC Research
MDMA/Ecstasy
Superhapiness?
Utopian Surgery?
The Abolitionist Project
The Hedonistic Imperative
The Reproductive Revolution
Critique of Huxley's Brave New World

The Good Drug Guide
The Good Drug Guide

The Responsible Parent's Guide
To Healthy Mood Boosters For All The Family