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Updated: Jul 16, 2026

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Published on: February 26, 2014
DHA depletion in rat brain is associated with impairment on spatial learning and memory
Ying Xiao1, Ling Wang, Ruo-Jun Xu
1Food and Nutrition Sciences Programme, Department of Biochemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China.
Objective:
To examine the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) deficiency in brain on spatial learning and memory in rats.
Methods:
Sprague Dawley rats were fed with an n-3 fatty acid deficient diet for two generations to induce DHA depletion in brain. DHA in seven brain regions was analyzed using the gas-liquid chromatography. Morris water maze (MWM) was employed as an assessing index of spatial learning and memory in the n-3 fatty acid deficient adult rats of second generation.
Results:
Feeding an n-3 deficient diet for two generations depleted DHA differently by 39%-63% in the seven brain regions including cerebellum, medulla, hypothalamus, striatum, hippocampus, cortex and midbrain. The MWM test showed that the n-3 deficient rats took a longer time and swam a longer distance to find the escape platform than the n-3 Adq group.
Conclusion:
The spatial learning and memory in adult rats are partially impaired by brain DHA depletion.
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