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Fish oil supplements may not always support brain recovery, with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) linked to impaired healing after repeated mild brain injuries. The neurovascular instability caused by EPA leads to perivascular tau pathology and cognitive decline following traumatic brain injury.
A new study challenges common assumptions about the neuroprotective role of fish oil, suggesting that certain omega-3 components may impede recovery after repeated mild brain injuries. The findings indicate that the effects of omega-3s depend on context and health status, and are not universally beneficial in every case.
The study, led by scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina and published in the journal Cell Reports, found that certain components of fish oil can interfere with the brain's ability to recover after repeated mild traumatic brain injuries.
How EPA impedes brain repair
The researchers identified a brain state-dependent metabolic vulnerability associated with eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, an omega-3 fatty acid found abundantly in fish oil supplements. In their laboratory models, elevated levels of EPA in the brain were associated with a reduced capacity to repair damage after injury.
Researcher Alberam said: "In the vulnerable brain state modelled in mice, long-term fish oil supplementation revealed a delayed impairment. The animals showed weaker neurological performance and spatial learning over time, along with clear evidence of vessel-associated tau protein accumulation in the cerebral cortex, linking impaired recovery to neurovascular dysfunction and perivascular tau pathology."
He added: "In post-mortem cortical tissue from pathologically confirmed cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) with a history of repeated brain injuries, the researchers found evidence of fatty acid imbalance and wide-ranging transcriptional changes directly affecting vascular and metabolic pathways."
Source: SciTechDaily