Maternal Docosahexaenoic Acid Intake Levels During Pregnancy and Infant Performance on a Novel Object Search Task at 22 Months

This study investigated maternal prenatal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake and infant cognitive develop-ment at 22 months. Estimates for second- and third-trimester maternal DHA intake levels were obtained using a comprehensive Food Frequency Questionnaire. Infants (n = 67) were assessed at 22 months on a novel object search task. Mothers ’ DHA intake levels were divided into high or low groups, with analyses revealing a significant positive effect of third-trimester DHA on object search task performance. The third trimester appears to be a critical time for ensuring adequate maternal DHA levels to facilitate optimum cognitive devel-opment in late infancy. This study examines maternal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake levels during pregnancy in relation to infant postnatal cognitive development. DHA is a long-chain member of the omega-3 (n-3) family of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). DHA is avail-able in the diet primarily in oily fish such as mack-erel and also in supplement form. DHA and other long-chain n-3 PUFAs can also be synthesized (albeit, highly inefficiently; see Plourde & Cunnane, 2007) in the body from the short-chain parent com-pound of the n-3 family, alpha linolenic acid. DHA During Pregnancy Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPU-FAs) are highly concentrated in the myelin sheath and membranes of synaptic terminals of the brain and central nervous system (see Sastry, 1985; Yehu-da, Rabinovitz, & Mostofsky, 2005). During the third trimester of pregnancy, a period of dynamic structural neural growth occurs in the fetal brain, coinciding with a huge increase in the selective accumulation of DHA, which is preferentially trans-ferred across the placenta (Hanebutt, Demmelmair, Schiessl, Larque, & Koletzko, 2008), indicating a particular need for this nutrient at this time (Horn