Visual acuity and retinal function in infant monkeys fed long-chain PUFA
Date
2002
Authors
Jeffrey, B.
Mitchell, D.
Hibbeln, J.
Gibson, R.
Chedester, A.
Salem, N.
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Journal article
Citation
Lipids, 2002; 37(9):839-848
Statement of Responsibility
Brett G. Jeffrey, Drake C. Mitchell, Joseph R. Hibbeln, Robert A. Gibson, A. Lee Chedester and Norman Salem
Conference Name
Abstract
Previous randomized clinical trials suggest that supplementation of the human infant diet with up to 0.35% DHA may benefit visual development. The aim of the current study was to assess the impact of including arachidonic acid (AA) and a higher level of DHA in the postnatal monkey diet on visual development. Infant rhesus monkeys were fed either a control diet (2.0% α-linolenic acid as the sole n-3 FA) or a supplemented diet (1.0% DHA and 1.0% AA) from birth. Visual evoked potential acuity was measured at 3 mon of age. Rod and cone function were assessed in terms of parameters describing phototransduction. Electroretinogram (ERG) amplitudes and implicit times were recorded over a wide intensity range (−2.2 to 4.0 log scot td-sec) and assessed in terms of intensity response functions. Plasma DHA and AA were significantly increased (P < 0.001) in the diet-supplemented monkeys compared with the control monkeys. There was an approximately equal effect of diet for the rod phototransduction parameters, sensitivity, and capacitance but in the opposite directions. Diet-supplemented monkeys had significantly shorter b-wave implicit times at low retinal illuminances (<0.6 log scot td-sec). There were no significant effects of diet for visual acuity or the other 23 ERG parameters measured. The results suggest that supplementation of the infant monkey diet with 1.0% DHA and 1.0% AA neither harms nor provides substantial benefit to the development of visual acuity or retinal function in the first four postnatal months.
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The original publication can be found at www.springerlink.com