Arachidonic Acid Supplementation Decreases P300 Latency and Increases P300 Amplitude of Event-Related Potentials in Healthy Elderly Men

Abstract

In the present study, we examined the effects of arachidonic acid (ARA) on age-related event-related potential (ERP) changes in 25 healthy elderly men. This study was performed using a double-blind crossover design. The subjects were administered 600 mg/day of ARA-enriched triglyceride (SUNTGA40S; containing 240 mg ARA) in capsules or the same amount of olive oil in capsules as an inactive placebo for 1 month. ERPs were measured before capsule administration and after 1 month of administration, and P300 latency and amplitude were also measured. In subjects administered 240 mg/day ARA, P300 latency was significantly shorter, and P300 amplitude was significantly higher than in those administered olive oil capsules, and they exhibited a significant increase in ARA content in serum phospholipids. These findings suggest that supplementation of ARA can improve cognitive function in healthy elderly men.

Arachidonic Acid-enriched Triacylglycerol Improves Cognitive Function in Elderly with Low Serum Levels of Arachidonic Acid

“…Previously, we reported that ARA-enriched TAG supplementation significantly improved cognitive function regarding P300 components correlated with age in adults 12 . Based on the results of the present study, we suggest that low serum ARA levels are associated with a decrease in P300 components in elderly men stratified by baseline serum ARA levels.…”

“…P300 latency was positively correlated with age in adults, and P300 amplitude generally lowered with age 14,15 . We found that ARA-enriched TAG supplementation significantly shortened P300 latency and increased P300 amplitude, accompanied by an increase in ARA levels in serum phospholipids and unchanged DHA content 12 . Thus, ARA-enriched TAG supplementation may improve age-related decreases in cognitive function in healthy elderly participants.…”

“…While the effects of ARA intake on neurological development in infants have been reported 21,22 , few human studies have been conducted in elderly people 12,23 . Previously, we reported that ARA-enriched TAG supplementation significantly improved cognitive function regarding P300 components correlated with age in adults 12 .…”

“…We previously demonstrated that ARA supplementation improves P300 latency and amplitude in healthy elderly men 12 . To investigate the influence of baseline serum ARA status on cognitive function and its improvement, we performed stratified analysis based on fatty acid composition of serum phospholipids at baseline, ie, before supplementation.…”

“…In a previous study, we measured event-related potentials ERPs to investigate the effect of ARA-enriched triacylglycerol TAG supplementation on cognitive function in healthy elderly men 12 . Of the major components observed in ERPs, P300 can be considered as a manifestation of central nervous system activity involved in the processing of new information when attention is engaged to update memory representation 13 .…”