JCastro
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Randomized controlled trial of brain specific fatty acid supplementation in pregnant women increases brain volumes on MRI scans of their newborn infants
Sci-Hub full study
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ArA) are essential brain specific fatty acids (BSFA) for mammalian central nervous system development. Human brains have accelerated growth with significant increase in cerebral content of ArA and DHA during the last trimester of pregnancy and first postnatal months. This randomized double blind placebo controlled single centre trial assessed the impact of BSFA supplementation in pregnancy on newborn infants' brain volumes. Eighty six infants born to study mothers had brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans soon after birth. Total and regional brain volumes were analyzed and related to maternal supplementation group. Males born to the BSFA supplemented mothers had significantly larger total brain volumes, total gray matter, corpus callosum and cortical volumes when compared to the placebo group. This is the first study to show maternal BSFA supplementation enhances newborn infants' brain size and suggests differential sex sensitivity of fetal brains to pregnancy BSFA status.
The BSFA supplemented group had larger head circumferences (p = 0.014) and were longer at birth (p = 0.012); [...] male infants whose mothers received BSFA supplements (n = 25) vs placebo (n = 24) were longer at birth and their head circumference, total brain, cortex, corpus callosum and whole gray matter volumes were larger; (Table 6). The mean duration of supplementation was 3 months (14 weeks) as planned and mean onset of supplementation was 23 weeks of gestation with no statistically significant differences in brain volumes noted if supplements commenced before or after 20 weeks gestation.
Table 6 showed both statistical and clinically significant size effect in head size and brain volumes in male infants whose mothers in the BSFA supplemented group. Their average head circumference was 1½cm larger than those whose mothers received placebo and they had cortical brain volumes of 31.4 mm × 103 more on average than those in the maternal placebo group. These findings are highly significant clinical (head size) and anatomical (MRI) changes
The finding that BSFA supplementation resulted in larger total brain, cortex, whole gray matter and corpus callosum volumes in males supports a speculation that male fetal brain development is more sensitive to maternal DHA; this may be because their brain regions were significantly larger at birth and so their demand is greater. This implies that there is a relative deficiency of EFAs in our diet.
No difference in female brain volumes with maternal supplementation was found. This may be because female infants have smaller brains at birth, needing less BSFA in-utero. Moreover, males are well known to be more sensitive to EFA deficiency than females due to contrasting hormonal effects on EFA metabolism.
The protective potential of BSFA is supported by a recent study on rat models of spinal injury, where a single bolus of DHA helped recover motor and spinal cord function following experimental spinal cord injury [40]. Other studies show that DHA and its metabolites are neuroprotective and neuroplastic in hypoxic ischaemic conditions [41].
Infants born to BSFA supplemented mothers had larger head circumferences at birth, consistent with previous data [19,20]. Head circumference correlates with brain size and later neurodevelopmental outcomes in [low birthweight] and preterm babies where those with larger head size at birth and two years have better neurodevelopmental tests scores at two year and beyond [42,43]. Strømmen et al. [44] found less white matter diffusivity on MRI brain imaging, which is suggestive of better cortical maturation, correlated with larger head size in a group of preterm babies given an enhanced nutrient diet. This is in keeping with our findings of larger cortical volumes and head size in DHA supplemented male infants
Sci-Hub full study
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ArA) are essential brain specific fatty acids (BSFA) for mammalian central nervous system development. Human brains have accelerated growth with significant increase in cerebral content of ArA and DHA during the last trimester of pregnancy and first postnatal months. This randomized double blind placebo controlled single centre trial assessed the impact of BSFA supplementation in pregnancy on newborn infants' brain volumes. Eighty six infants born to study mothers had brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans soon after birth. Total and regional brain volumes were analyzed and related to maternal supplementation group. Males born to the BSFA supplemented mothers had significantly larger total brain volumes, total gray matter, corpus callosum and cortical volumes when compared to the placebo group. This is the first study to show maternal BSFA supplementation enhances newborn infants' brain size and suggests differential sex sensitivity of fetal brains to pregnancy BSFA status.
The BSFA supplemented group had larger head circumferences (p = 0.014) and were longer at birth (p = 0.012); [...] male infants whose mothers received BSFA supplements (n = 25) vs placebo (n = 24) were longer at birth and their head circumference, total brain, cortex, corpus callosum and whole gray matter volumes were larger; (Table 6). The mean duration of supplementation was 3 months (14 weeks) as planned and mean onset of supplementation was 23 weeks of gestation with no statistically significant differences in brain volumes noted if supplements commenced before or after 20 weeks gestation.
Table 6 showed both statistical and clinically significant size effect in head size and brain volumes in male infants whose mothers in the BSFA supplemented group. Their average head circumference was 1½cm larger than those whose mothers received placebo and they had cortical brain volumes of 31.4 mm × 103 more on average than those in the maternal placebo group. These findings are highly significant clinical (head size) and anatomical (MRI) changes
The finding that BSFA supplementation resulted in larger total brain, cortex, whole gray matter and corpus callosum volumes in males supports a speculation that male fetal brain development is more sensitive to maternal DHA; this may be because their brain regions were significantly larger at birth and so their demand is greater. This implies that there is a relative deficiency of EFAs in our diet.
No difference in female brain volumes with maternal supplementation was found. This may be because female infants have smaller brains at birth, needing less BSFA in-utero. Moreover, males are well known to be more sensitive to EFA deficiency than females due to contrasting hormonal effects on EFA metabolism.
The protective potential of BSFA is supported by a recent study on rat models of spinal injury, where a single bolus of DHA helped recover motor and spinal cord function following experimental spinal cord injury [40]. Other studies show that DHA and its metabolites are neuroprotective and neuroplastic in hypoxic ischaemic conditions [41].
Infants born to BSFA supplemented mothers had larger head circumferences at birth, consistent with previous data [19,20]. Head circumference correlates with brain size and later neurodevelopmental outcomes in [low birthweight] and preterm babies where those with larger head size at birth and two years have better neurodevelopmental tests scores at two year and beyond [42,43]. Strømmen et al. [44] found less white matter diffusivity on MRI brain imaging, which is suggestive of better cortical maturation, correlated with larger head size in a group of preterm babies given an enhanced nutrient diet. This is in keeping with our findings of larger cortical volumes and head size in DHA supplemented male infants
