Effects of maternal supplementation with DHA and/or egg yolk powder on monoamine homeostasis in the perinatal piglet brain.

Objectives: Reports indicate that children of mothers who received docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or egg yolk supplements during pregnancy have improved performance on cognitive tasks and brain growth; their combination has recently been demonstrated to modulate functional neuronal network connectivity in the human-relevant piglet brain. To expand upon this functional connectivity analysis, neurochemical evaluation to determine how dietary supplementation with one or both of these nutrients during the last trimester of pregnancy alters monoamine homeostasis in selected brain regions of piglets was done.

Methods: Beginning gestation days 60-69 through weaning, pregnant sows were fed either control diet or diets supplemented with egg yolk powder, DHA, or both.