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ABSTRACT
Background: Vigilant Attention (VA) is a critical cognitive function allowing to maintain our attention, particularly in redundant or intellectually unchallenging situations. Evidence has shown that, as the brain develops, VA abilities rapidly improve throughout childhood and adolescence. Dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fats (PUFA), playing a critical role for proper brain development and maturation of cortical regions, may contribute to variations in VA abilities. Objective: The present study investigated the effect of dietary omega-3 PUFA intake (docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)) on resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of a meta-analytically defined VA network in 24 neurotypical children and adolescents (7.3–17.2 years) from the Healthy Brain Network databank. Methods: Functional MRI and phenotypical information were collected from the Healthy Brain Network databank. Intake of omega-3 DHA and EPA was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and was adjusted for total calorie intake. Out of scanner VA-related performance was assessed using the VA condition of the Adaptive Cognitive Evaluation tool. Results: Overall, reported intake of omega-3 PUFA was not significantly associated with VA-related performance. Furthermore, energy-adjusted omega-3 intake was not significantly correlated with rsFC within the VA network. A complementary whole-brain analysis revealed that energy-adjusted omega-3 intake was correlated with decreased rsFC between parieto-occipital brain regions. Conclusion: The present study was not able to detect a relationship between dietary omega-3 and rsFC or VA performance.
Acknowledgements
The first author is a recipient of a University Postgraduate Award and Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship at The University of Western Australia. Funding for the HBN was provided by Margaret Bilotti; Brooklyn Nets; Agapi and Bruce Burkard; James Chang; Phyllis Green and Randolph Cowen; Grieve Family Fund; Susan Miller and Byron Grote; Sarah and Geoff Gund; George Hall; Jonathan M. Harris Family Foundation; Joseph P. Healey; The Hearst Foundations; Eve and Ross Jaffe; Howard & Irene Levine Family Foundation; Rachael and Marshall Levine; George and Nitzia Logothetis; Christine and Richard Mack; Julie Minskoff; Valerie Mnuchin; Morgan Stanley Foundation; Amy and John Phelan; Roberts Family Foundation; Jim and Linda Robinson Foundation, Inc.; Linda and Richard Schaps; Zibby Schwarzman; Abigail Pogrebin and David Shapiro; Stavros Niarchos Foundation; Preethi Krishna and Ram Sundaram; Amy and John Weinberg; Donors to the 2013 Child Advocacy Award Dinner Auction; Donors to the 2012 Brant Art Auction.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
The data used in the present study can be accessed in the Healthy Brain Network database at: http://fcon_1000.projects.nitrc.org/indi/cmi_healthy_brain_network/sharing_neuro.html.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Hugo A. E. Morandini
Hugo A. E. Morandini is a current PhD candidate with the School of Medicine, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences at the University of Western Australia. His background is in clinical neuroscience and psychology. He is interested in applying neuroimaging techniques to investigate the development of brain networks and the effects of nutrition on brain health.
Pradeep Rao
Dr. Pradeep Rao is currently A/Medical Co-Director (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) and Head of Service Complex Attention and Hyperactivity Disorders Service. Prior to this, he has worked as Head of Department in CAMHS since 2016. Dr. Rao has worked in adolescent forensic inpatient and community settings as well as in Community CAMHS settings as a Consultant Psychiatrist. Since May 2015, he has additionally held appointments at the School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia. He currently holds an adjunct appointment as Senior Clinical Lecturer. He also hold an Honorary Associate appointment with Telethon Kids Institute.
Sean D. Hood
Professor Sean D. Hood is Head of the UWA Division of Psychiatry, and Associate Dean (Community & Engagement) for the UWA Medical School. Prof Hood chairs a novel research collaboration with the Meeting for Minds (M4M) Foundation which is a “not-for-profit organisation dedicated to research of the brain and disorders of the brain in partnership with people living with mental illness”. In 2018 CI-Hood was a founding member of the UWA Young Lives Matter (YLM) Foundation (Board Director & Research Management Lead). In 2020 Sean convened and chairs the WA Mental Health Covid-19 Research Panel (WAMH-CoRP) a group unifying all 5 WA universities (viz: UWA, Curtin, Murdoch, Notre Dame Fremantle, Edith Cowen U), public health districts, and consumer/carer bodies.
Kristi Griffiths
Dr. Kristi Griffiths is a behavioural neuroscientist, NHMRC Early Career Fellow and leader of the neurodevelopmental neuroimaging team at the Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research. Her research is dedicated to the application of neuroimaging methods to better understanding neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders in young people, with the ultimate goal of advancing personalised medicine.
Timothy J. Silk
Dr. Timothy J. Silk is an associate professor in the School of Psychology, Deakin University, Australia, and honorary fellow in the Developmental Imaging group at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia. He leads a program of research understanding both typical and atypical brain development.
Florian D. Zepf
Prof. Dr. Florian D. Zepf is the Chair and Clinical Director of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany. He is president of the International Society for Tryptophan Research (ISTRY).