The Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on the Concentration of Myo-inositol

Bipolar affective disorder is a mental illness that affects 1-2% of the population. One hypothesis for the effectiveness of current treatments of bipolar disorder is the reduction of cellular myo-inositol. Lithium and valproate (VPA) are known to reduce cellular inositol levels, however these treatments often have notable side effects. Currently, there is a need to find a treatment for bipolar disorder that reduces the adverse side effects of these drugs. Previous studies, have found success in using omega-3 fatty acids for the treatment of bipolar affective disorder. The long-term purpose of this study is to determine what effect omega-3 fatty acids have on myo-inositol concentration. This study has worked toward this purpose by comparing the growth effects of 0.8mM DHA to 2.5mM VPA. We have found that similar to VPA, cell growth is reduced at 0.8mM