PLoS ONE (Jan 2013)

FADS2 Genetic Variance in Combination with Fatty Acid Intake Might Alter Composition of the Fatty Acids in Brain.

  • Thais S Rizzi,
  • Sophie van der Sluis,
  • Catherine Derom,
  • Evert Thiery,
  • Ronald E van Kesteren,
  • Nele Jacobs,
  • Sofie Van Gestel,
  • Robert Vlietinck,
  • Matthijs Verhage,
  • Peter Heutink,
  • Danielle Posthuma

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068000
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 6
p. e68000

Abstract

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Multiple lines of evidence suggest that fatty acids (FA) play an important role in cognitive function. However, little is known about the functional genetic pathways involved in cognition. The main goals of this study were to replicate previously reported interaction effects between breast feeding (BF) and FA desaturase (FADS) genetic variation on IQ and to investigate the possible mechanisms by which these variants might moderate BF effect, focusing on brain expression. Using a sample of 534 twins, we observed a trend in the moderation of BF effects on IQ by FADS2 variation. In addition, we made use of publicly available gene expression databases from both humans (193) and mice (93) and showed that FADS2 variants also correlate with FADS1 brain expression (P-value<1.1E-03). Our results provide novel clues for the understanding of the genetic mechanisms regulating FA brain expression and improve the current knowledge of the FADS moderation effect on cognition.