Two new studies
link patterns of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the blood to the integrity of
brain structures and cognitive abilities that are known to decline early in
aging.
The studies add to the evidence that dietary intake of
omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids can promote healthy aging, the researchers
said. Further research is needed to test this hypothesis, they said.
The brain is a collection of interconnected parts,
each of which ages at its own pace. Some brain structures, and the abilities
they promote, start to deteriorate before others, said University of Illinois
M.D./Ph.D student Marta Zamroziewicz, who led the new research with psychology
professor Aron Barbey.
"We studied a primary network of the brain -- the
frontoparietal network -- that plays an important role in fluid intelligence
and also declines early, even in healthy aging," Zamroziewicz said. Fluid
intelligence describes the ability to solve problems one has never encountered
before.
