EFFECTS OF DIETARY FISH-OIL DURING THE FETAL AND POSTNATAL PERIODS ON THE LEARNING-ABILITY OF POSTNATAL RATS

The effects of a diet containing fish oil with a low level of docosahexaenoic acid fed during the fetal to newborn stage on the learning ability of postnatal rats were evaluated. Learning ability estimated by the swimming test was superior with the fish oil group of 6-wk-old rats to that with the non-fish oil group. These findings suggest that the ingestion of fish oil, and especially of docosahexaenoic acid, during the period from the fetal to newborn stage, but not during the weaning period, and the accumulation of a large amount of dietary docosahexaenoic acid in the brain of fetal and newborn rats may be related to an improved cerebral function of postnatal rats.