A review article published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience (July 2008; 9(7):568–578), which evaluated findings from more than 160 studies, concluded that omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in learning and memory. The review also identified folic acid as a key nutrient for normal brain function.
Additional research published in the FASEB Journal (July 7, 2008) examined the combined effects of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), uridine, and choline on learning and memory in gerbils. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid important for brain structure, choline is a B-vitamin–like nutrient involved in brain chemistry and membrane formation, and uridine is a nucleotide involved in carbohydrate metabolism and phospholipid synthesis. Uridine is found naturally in foods such as brewer’s yeast, tomatoes, fish, eggs, and beets.
The study was conducted at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where gerbils were supplemented with either two or all three of the nutrients. Their performance on memory tasks was compared with that of a control group that received no supplementation. Researchers also measured brain phospholipid levels as an indicator of synaptic membrane formation.
Gerbils receiving the combination of DHA, uridine, and choline showed up to a 70% increase in brain phospholipid levels and demonstrated improved memory performance compared with controls. The authors suggested that providing multiple nutrients involved in membrane synthesis may support mechanisms related to learning and memory. The findings were based on animal research and were presented as mechanistic support rather than evidence of clinical benefit in humans.
