DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, is an important constituent of brain membranes and
has a key role in brain development and function. This review aims to highlight
recent research on DHA’s role during age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s
disease. Animal and in vitro studies have provided some interesting mechanistic leads,
especially on brain glucose metabolism, that may be involved in neuroprotection
by DHA. However, results from human studies are more mitigated, perhaps due to
changing DHA metabolism during aging. Recent innovative tools such as 13C-DHA
for metabolic studies and 11C-DHA for PET provide interesting opportunities to study
factors that affect DHA homeostasis during aging and to better understand whether
and how to use DHA to delay or treat Alzheimer’s disease
