Project Summary

Joseph R. Hibbeln, M.D. (Independent Investigator 2002) of National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism/National Institute of Health (NIAAA/NIH), will study a group of 9 year old children who participated in an earlier study during infancy, and were given either standard infant formula or formulas supplemented with arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are polyunsaturated essential fatty acids, by engaging them in tasks which will measure their level of aggression, and how well their heart and autonomic nervous system respond to physical and emotional challenges associated with a button-pressing task.  The purpose of this study is to determine if an inadequate dietary supply of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids during infancy results in deficits in brain function which persist during childhood and increase the vulnerability for affective and aggressive disorders later in life.  Although the fatty acids AA and DHA are universally found in breast milk, the FDA has only recently allowed, but not mandated, the inclusion of nutrients into infant formulas.  This is the first study to address the possibility that supplementing infant formulas with these fatty acids may have beneficial effects for psychiatric outcomes.  This possibility is especially interesting because biochemical insults and severe psychological stresses early in development are thought to increase the predisposition towards developing aggressive and depressive behaviors later in life.

Program Area: MULTIPLE FOCUS AREAS\Aggression/Unipolar Depression

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