Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Dec 4;18(12):2608.
doi: 10.3390/ijms18122608.

The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Developmental Psychopathology: A Systematic Review on Early Psychosis, Autism, and ADHD

Carlo Agostoni  1   2 , Maria Nobile  3 , Valentina Ciappolino  4 , Giuseppe Delvecchio  5 , Alessandra Tesei  6 , Stefano Turolo  7 , Alessandro Crippa  8 , Alessandra Mazzocchi  9 , Carlo A Altamura  10 , Paolo Brambilla  11   12
Affiliations

The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Developmental Psychopathology: A Systematic Review on Early Psychosis, Autism, and ADHD

Carlo Agostoni et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

In this systematic review, we will consider and debate studies that have explored the effects of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in three major, and somehow related, developmental psychiatric disorders: Autism, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity disorder and Psychosis. The impact of ω-3 PUFAs on clinical symptoms and, if possible, brain trajectory in children and adolescents suffering from these illnesses will be reviewed and discussed, considering the biological plausibility of the effects of omega-3 fatty acids, together with their potential perspectives in the field. Heterogeneity in study designs will be discussed in the light of differences in results and interpretation of studies carried out so far.

Keywords: PUFAs; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); autism; docosahexaenoic acid (DHA); eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA); first psychotic episode; neurodevelopment; omega-3; ultra-high risk for psychosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA diagram: ω-3 PUFAs supplementation in early psychotic symptoms.
Figure 2
Figure 2
PRISMA diagram: ω-3 PUFAs supplementation in ADHD.
Figure 3
Figure 3
PRISMA diagram: ω-3 PUFAs supplementation in ASD.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Baxter A.J., Patton G., Scott K.M., Kate M., Degenhardt L., Whiteford H.A. Global Epidemiology of Mental Disorders: What Are We Missing? PLoS ONE. 2013;8:e65514. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065514. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Logan A.C., Jacka F.N. Nutritional psychiatry research: An emerging discipline and its intersection with global urbanization, environmental challenges and the evolutionary mismatch. J. Phys. Anthropol. 2014;33:22. doi: 10.1186/1880-6805-33-22. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. McNamara R.K., Vannest J.J., Valentine C.J. Role of perinatal long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in cortical circuit maturation: Mechanisms and implications for psychopathology. World J. Psychiatry. 2015;5:15–34. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v5.i1.15. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Innis S.M. Perinatal biochemistry and physiology of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. J. Pediatr. 2003;143:S1–S8. doi: 10.1067/S0022-3476(03)00396-2. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kiecolt-Glaser J.K., Preacher K.J., MacCallum R.C., Atkinson C., Malarkey W., Glaser R. Chronic stress and age-related increases in the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2003;100:9090–9095. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1531903100. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms