Ten day old mice that incurred brain injury, which would be caused by a decrease in the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, were treated by the researchers by injecting Omega 3 fatty acids which are found in food as well as in supplements. The neurological function of the mice had been evaluated by the researchers 9 weeks after the injury of the brain. 

The oils extracted from the cold-water fish contain DHA as well as EPA which are a part of bioactive omega 3 fatty acids. According to the CUMC researchers and other scientists, fish oil fatty acids protect from oxygen deprivation, reducing inflammation as well as cell death and also save organs as well as cells in many different ways.

The mice that were treated with DHA reduced the brain injury significantly and after few weeks DHA improvised the multiple functions of the brain when compared with the mice that were treated with EPA and that were not treated.

When the blood flow is restored to the brain after the stroke, free radicals may injure the energy producing structures in the cells and the DHA- treated mice increased the concentration of DHA in the mitochondria of the brain as well as in the energy producing structures.

PhD, MD, associate professor at CUMC, senior co-author, Vadim S.Ten said that their findings suggest that injecting the omega 3 fatty acid DHA, after a stroke like event, has the ability to protect brain mitochondria against the damaging effects of free radicals.

Interruption of the blood flow and oxygen deprivation in newborns after the birth is the major cause for the brain damage. More than 25% of the affected mice may suffer from neurological impairments that last for a life time and these types of brain injuries are similar to that of the adult strokes.

Senior co-author, MD, CM, director of the Institute of Nutrition at CMCU, Richard J. Deckelbaum said that, clinical trials were need to determine if administering lipid emulsions containing DHA shortly after a stroke like brain injury offers the same neuroprotective effects in babies and adults, as seen in mice and if successful, such trials could lead to the development of a novel therapy for stroke in newborns, children, and adults, addressing a major medical need.