Thickness of the cerebral cortex shows positive association with blood levels of triacylglycerols carrying 18-carbon fatty acids

Eeva Sliz; Jean Shin; Catriona Syme; Sandra Black; Sudha Seshadri; Tomas Paus; Zdenka Pausova

doi:10.1038/s42003-020-01189-5

Thickness of the cerebral cortex shows positive association with blood levels of triacylglycerols carrying 18-carbon fatty acids

Commun Biol. 2020 Aug 20;3(1):456. doi: 10.1038/s42003-020-01189-5.

Authors

Eeva Sliz^{1

2}, Jean Shin^{1

2}, Catriona Syme^{1

2}, Sandra Black^{3

4

5

6

7

8}, Sudha Seshadri^{9

10}, Tomas Paus^{11

12}, Zdenka Pausova^{13

14}

Affiliations

¹ The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
² Departments of Physiology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
³ Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁴ Toronto Dementia Research Alliance, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁵ Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁶ Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁷ Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁸ LC Campbell Cognitive Neurology Research Unit, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁹ The Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
¹¹ Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
¹² Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
¹³ The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. zdenka.pausova@sickkids.ca.
¹⁴ Departments of Physiology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. zdenka.pausova@sickkids.ca.

Abstract

Perturbations in fatty acid (FA) metabolism as well as thinning of the cerebral cortex have been associated with cognitive decline in the elderly. Predominant FAs in the brain are docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA). Approximately 2-8% of esterified DHA and 3-5% of esterified ARA in the brain are replaced daily. DHA and ARA are derivatives of 18-carbon essential FAs, α-linolenic acid and linoleic acid, that must be imported into the brain from the circulation. In blood, FAs are primarily transported in triacylglycerols (TAGs) from which they can be released at the blood-brain-barrier and transported inside the brain. We show that circulating levels of TAGs carrying 18-carbon FAs are positively associated with cortical thickness in middle-aged adults. These associations are stronger in cortical regions with higher expression of genes regulating long-chain FA metabolism and cellular membranes, and cortical thickness in the same regions may be related to cognitive performance.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Biomarkers
Cerebral Cortex / anatomy & histology*
Cerebral Cortex / diagnostic imaging
Cerebral Cortex / physiology*
Cognition
Fatty Acids / chemistry
Fatty Acids / metabolism*
Female
Humans
Lipidomics
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Metabolome
Metabolomics / methods
Middle Aged
Organ Size
Triglycerides / blood
Triglycerides / metabolism*

Substances

Biomarkers
Fatty Acids
Triglycerides

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding