Fatty Acids and Executive Function Development in 7-12 Year Olds

Fatty Acids and Executive Functions: Cortical Activation and Behavioral Performance.

Purpose: To examine the effect of the omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio on age-related changes in executive functions in children and older adults.

Participants: Eighty-four typically-developing 7-to 12-year-old children.

Procedure (methods): Participants and a caregiver will participate in 4 sessions. Three sessions will consist of the screening. These sessions will be telephone calls to collect 24-hour diet information that will be used to determine whether they are eligible for the fourth session. Approximately 120 participants will be screened to find 84 participants who are eligible for the fourth session, in which participants will complete a series of tests on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) - a touch-screen device that provides computerized versions of standardized cognitive tests. They will also complete a maze task in which they figure out a path through the maze by walking on the correct squares. Brain activity will be recorded using a portable near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) system.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Executive Function

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 79

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Carolina
    • Kannapolis, North Carolina, United States, 28081
      • UNC-Chapel Hill's Nutrition Research Institute

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 7 years to 12 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

All participants will be typically-developing, healthy 7-to-12-year-olds who are fluent in English. Every effort will be made to recruit roughly equal numbers of boys and girls. Recruitment will be conducted irrespective of race and ethnicity. An attempt will be made to match the sample to the race and ethnicity of the region: 80% White, 15% African-American, and 5% Native American, Asian, and Other descent.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Typically-developing children 7-12 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children or parents who do not speak English
• Any diagnosis of a psychological illness
• History of seizures
• History of tobacco exposure during gestation
• History of alcohol exposure during gestation

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
7-9 year olds; These are children who are between 7 and 9 years old when they are tested.
10-12 year olds; These are children who are between 10 and 12 years old when they are tested.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Error (count) and latency (in milliseconds) measures from executive function tasks	For one specific aim, the omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio will be determined by summing the omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid levels in plasma and dividing omega-6 fatty acids by omega-3 fatty acids. The calculated ratio will be used to predict error and latency scores on executive function tasks. For a second specific aim, the oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentrations from near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measurements will be used to predict the error and latency measures from executive function tasks.	One time with children who are 7-12 years old

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentrations from near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)	Plasma levels of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids will be used to predict oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentrations from near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measurements in children who are 7-12 years old.	One time with children who are 7-12 years old.
Performance on the Maze as measured by Noldus Ethovision	Performance on the Maze as measured by Noldus Ethovision tracking system will be compared to performance on standardized measures of planning and spatial working memory.	One time with children who are 7-12 years old

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Collaborators: Sigma Xi
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Carol L Cheatham, Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Ingol TT, Li R, Boone KM, Rausch J, Klebanoff MA, Turner AN, Yeates KO, Nelin MA, Sheppard KW, Keim SA. Docosahexaenoic and Arachidonic Acid Supplementation of Toddlers Born Preterm Does Not Affect Short-Term Growth or Adiposity. J Nutr. 2019 Dec 1;149(12):2182-2190. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxz115.
• Sheppard KW, Cheatham CL. Omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid intake of children and older adults in the U.S.: dietary intake in comparison to current dietary recommendations and the Healthy Eating Index. Lipids Health Dis. 2018 Mar 9;17(1):43. doi: 10.1186/s12944-018-0693-9.
• Sheppard KW, Cheatham CL. Executive functions and the omega-6-to-omega-3 fatty acid ratio: a cross-sectional study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017 Jan;105(1):32-41. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.116.141390. Epub 2016 Nov 16.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: April 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 23, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 23, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): July 25, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 16, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 11, 2020
• Last Verified: December 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 14-0198