Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, led by Rajesh Narendarn, project principal investigator and associate professor of radiology, asked a group of healthy young men and women from all ethnicities to boost their Omega-3 intake with supplements for six months. First, the participants underwent positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, and their blood samples were analysed. They then took a working memory ‘n-back’ test, in which they were shown a series of letters and numbers and had to keep track of what appeared one, two, and three times previously. The young adults then began taking the Omega-3 supplement, being monitored monthly through phone calls and outpatient procedures, and after six months of taking it, the results revealed the participating teens had an improved working memory.
Bita Moghaddam, project investigator and professor of neuroscience, spoke of his awe at the results. ‘Before seeing this data, I would have said it was impossible to move young healthy individuals above their cognitive best’ he said. ‘We found that members of this population can enhance their working memory performance even further, despite their already being at the top of their cognitive game’.
Matthew Muldoon, project co investigator and associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh explained why the project was the first of its kind: ‘So many of the previous studies have been done with the elderly or people with medical conditions, leaving this unique population of young adults unaddressed’ he said, and this caused the team to question, ‘But what about our highest-functioning periods? Can we help the brain achieve its full potential by adapting our healthy behaviours in our young adult life? We found that we absolutely can.’
Studies are still on-going as the team found that Omega-3s affect the brain of youngsters differently than adults, and the team aims to find the mechanism that improves brain wellness.