DHA-enriched fish oil ameliorates deficits in cognition associated with menopause and the APOE4 genotype in rodents. - GreenMedInfo Summary

Femalecarriers have a greater predisposition to developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared to their male counterparts, which may partly be attributed to menopause. We previously reported that a combination of menopause andled to an exacerbation of cognitive and neurological deficits, which were associated with reduced brain DHA and DHA:AA ratio. Here, we explored whether DHA-enriched fish oil (FO) supplementation mitigated the detrimental impact of these risk factors. Whilst DHA-enriched fish oil improved recognition memory (NOR) inVCD (4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide)-treated mice (< 0.05), no change in spatial working memory (Y-maze) was observed. FO supplementation increased brain DHA and nervonic acid and the DHA:AA ratio. The response of key bioenergetic and blood-brain barrier related genes and proteins provided mechanistic insights into these behavioural findings, with increased BDNF protein concentration as well as mitigation of aberrant,and-expression inmice receiving fish oil supplementation (< 0.05). In conclusion, supplementation with a physiologically relevant dose of DHA-enriched fish oil appears to offer protection against the detrimental effects of menopause, particularly in "at-risk"female carriers.