Maternal omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on vitamin B12 rich diet improves brain omega-3 fatty acids, neurotrophins and cognition in the Wistar rat offspring

Introduction: The consequences of wide spread vegetarianism due to low vitamin B-12 on brain development and functioning is gaining importance. However, there are no studies which have evaluated exclusively vitamin B-12 supplementation during pregnancy on brain growth. A series of our animal studies have documented adverse effects of maternal micronutrient imbalance on brain neurotrophins and its amelioration by omega-3 fatty acids. Therefore, the present study investigated the effect of maternal supplementation with vitamin B-12 alone and B-12 plus omega-3 fatty acid on pup brain fatty acids and neurotrophins at birth and 3 mo of age. Methods and results: Pregnant Wistar rats and their male offspring were assigned to 3 dietary groups: Control (normal vitamin B-12 (25 mu g/kg), vitamin B-12 supplemented (BS) (50 mu g/kg), vitamin B-12 supplemented with omega-3 fatty acid (BSO) till 3 month of age. Maternal vitamin B-12 supplementation (BS) increased brain BDNF (protein and mRNA) and DHA levels in pups at birth and in the hippocampus at 3 month of age (BDNF only). These effects were further enhanced by omega-3 fatty acid supplementation to vitamin B-12 supplemented group. The spatial memory performance was found to be enhanced in BSO group which was characterised by less number of errors in radial eight arm maze. Conclusion: Our results indicate that a combination of omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin B-12 enriched diet may exert beneficial effects on synaptic plasticity and cognition, which may prove beneficial for mental health, particularly in preventing neurocognitive disorders. (C) 2013 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.