AA in Brain-Memory, Dementia, Depression, Anxiety, Alzheimer's Disease, Affective and Psychiatric Disorders, and Coronary Heart Disease (CHD).

The human brain is rich in AA and DHA, which are crucial for normal brain growth and development and memory. They form a major structural component of neurons of the cerebral cortex and photoreceptor cells in the retina. AA and DHA support synaptic plasticity and contribute to efficient neurotransmission. Adequate amounts of AA and DHA support neuronal growth and the formation of new synapses and thus are crucial for memory and cognitive function.Depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and other neurological diseases occur more frequently in those with coronary heart disease (CHD) and vice versa. Transient depression and anxious mood can trigger acute cardiac events and fatal arrhythmias. Serotonin and catecholamines play a significant role in depression and anxiety and are known to activate platelets, which increases the risk of cardiovascular events. Both serotonin and catecholamines modulate inflammation, while levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines are elevated in anxiety and depression and other psychiatric conditions and CHD. Depression, anxiety, and CHD involve altered essential fatty acid metabolism, particularly of AA and DHA, whose metabolites can inhibit platelet activation, suppress inflammation, and enhance acetylcholine levels. Acetylcholine, in turn, regulates the concentrations of serotonin and catecholamines. Acetylcholine and catecholamines have a modulatory influence on inflammation. Exercise is anti-inflammatory in nature, by virtue of its ability to enhance the formation of anti-inflammatory lipoxin A4, resolvins, protectin, and maresins and suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α. AA and DHA enhance acetylcholine release and augment the formation of endothelial nitric oxide (NO). These results imply that anxiety, depression, and CHD are low-grade systemic inflammatory conditions that could benefit from the administration of appropriate amounts of AA and DHA. Risk factors for CHD such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis are all considered pro-inflammatory conditions.Since both neuropsychiatric conditions and recovery from CHD need the generation of new neurons and myocardial cells respectively that need to get integrated to the existing cells/tissues, it is proposed that a combination of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (that is needed for neuronal cells to survive), growth hormone (GH) (needed for growth of the newly generated neurons and myocardial cells), resolvins/lipoxins/protectins/maresins (needed to suppress inflammation and enhance wound healing), retinoic acid (needed for vertebrate development), and 1,4-DPCA that inhibits the excessive deposition of collagen and an inducer of formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) may be of significant benefit both in the prevention and management of neuropsychiatric conditions and CHD and their associated conditions such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis.