March 2005

News tips from the Journal of Neuroscience

1. Fish Oil and ß-Amyloid in the Mouse

Giselle P. Lim, Frédéric Calon, Takashi Morihara, Fusheng Yang, Bruce Teter, Oliver Ubeda, Norman Salem Jr, Sally A. Frautschy, and Greg M. Cole

Low levels of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been reported in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), as has evidence for an AD protective effect of increased marine fish consumption, a main source of DHA. This week, Lim et al. test whether DHA has a direct effect on amyloid production in a mouse model of AD. The studies support a role for DHA in reducing amyloid burden even at a relatively late stage in this animal model. Pass the fish oil, please.