66 Docosahexaneoic Acid Did Not Improve Nor Anatomical Outcomes In A Rat Model of Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury

Faculty Mentor: Michelle Schober (Pediatrics, University of Utah)

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability due to trauma and the leading cause of acquired neurological disability in children. Specific therapies to optimize recovery after TBI are lacking. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a component of fish oil and a natural constituent of brain cell membranes, is a potential candidate therapy to improve neurologic recovery after severe TBI. The objective of our project is to test the hypothesis that DHA improves cognitive outcome and brain imaging in a pediatric TBI model using controlled cortical impact (CCI) in rat pups. Seventeen-day- old male rat pups received CCI or a minimally invasive (Naive) surgery. CCI and Naive rats were either treated with regular (Reg) or DHA. Rats were tested for learning at 1-2 months after surgery, using Morris Water Maze (MWM), and for memory, using Novel Object Recognition (NOR). We performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain using Transverse Relaxation (T2) scans to measure volumes of the injured hemisphere and hippocampus, a brain region important for learning and memory, and Diffuse Tensor Imaging (DTI) scans to quantitate damage to the white matter. Our findings in male rats did not support our hypothesis. Further research using female rats, and additional outcome measures in both sexes is in progress.