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Visual Function and the Essentiality of α-Linolenic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid in Human Infants

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Handbook of Essential Fatty Acid Biology

Abstract

The availability of omega-3 and omega-6 long-chain polyunsaturated (LCP) fatty acids (FA) has important structural effects on developing organs, most notably on the lipid-rich neuronal membranes of the retina and brain (Clandinin et al., 1980a,b; Fleisler and Anderson, 1983; Martinez, 1992). The last trimester of prenatal development and the early postnatal months represent a period of rapid maturation of the photoreceptors and a rapid increase in the number of synapses and dendritic arborizations in the brain (Mann, 1950; Garey, 1984; Huttenlocher and deCourten, 1987; Fulton et al., 1991; Hendrickson, 1993). These processes require the deposition of lipids, particularly omega-3 and omega-6 LCPs, in neuronal membranes. Any limitation in the supply of LCPs may modify the growth and function of the central nervous system. Indeed, the quantity and quality of LCPs incorporated into neural membranes influences their physical and functional properties (Fleisler and Anderson, 1983; Stubbs and Smith, 1984; Dratz and Deese, 1986; Weidmann et al., 1986; Bourre et al., 1989; Murphy, 1990; Wood, 1990; Foote et al., 1993).

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Authors
  1. Eileen E. Birch
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  2. David Birch
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  3. Ricardo Uauy
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Psychopharmacology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel

    Shlomo Yehuda

  2. Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    David I. Mostofsky

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Birch, E.E., Birch, D., Uauy, R. (1997). Visual Function and the Essentiality of α-Linolenic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid in Human Infants. In: Yehuda, S., Mostofsky, D.I. (eds) Handbook of Essential Fatty Acid Biology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2582-7_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2582-7_8

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