Long-term consumption of fish oil partially protects brain tissue from age-related neurodegeneration.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of fish oil supplementation on aging in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum of rats. Results of biochemical and histological analyses of brain tissue collected from young rats (age: 2 months) prior to the experiment were compared with the results obtained from the 14-month-old animals assigned to the control and supplemented group. Total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) levels were assessed in the examined brain regions.

The neuroprotective effect of long-term n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of aging rats.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether hippocampus and cerebral cortex fatty acids (FA) composition can be altered as a result of n-3 enriched diet, or modifications in FA can affect the age-related histological changes in these brain tissues. The study was performed on eighteen rats which were fed control (CD) or fish oil supplemented diet (FOD) for 12 months. We investigated the n-3 and n-6 brain FA profile by gas-chromatography analysis.

Age-related changes in the central nervous system in selected domestic mammals and primates.

Aging is a process which operates at many levels of physiological, genetic and molecular organization and leads inevitably to death. Brain macroscopic changes by MRI investigation during aging were observed in humans and dogs but chimpanzees did not display significant changes. This suggestion led to the statement that brain aging is different in various species.