Research

From the very first stages of development and throughout our lives, what we eat influences the way our brains grow and work.

We are exploring how our diet and genetic differences work together to determine our mental health. Our research will drive a new and emerging field of psychiatric nutrigenomics.

Dietary lipids and psychiatric disorders

People with psychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder, often have problems metabolising the dietary lipids omega-6 and omega-3. We are studying how the balance of omega-3 and omega-6 in our diet influence the effects of these disorders. This will lead to a better quality of life for those affected.

Omega-3

Omega-3 is found in oily fish, walnuts, and rapeseed oil. It is responsible for building neuron (brain cell) membranes and helping synapses and receptors work more smoothly. This affects serotonin and dopamine signalling and stabilises our mood. It also dampens down the effects of brain inflammation and supports the initial development of the brain and vision when in the womb.

Omega-6

Omega-6 is found in nuts, seeds, soybeans, avocados, eggs, and meat. It is needed for skin, hair and cell growth, and is involved in regulating brain signalling. It also makes prostaglandins that regulate bodily processes such as pain, blood flow, inflammation, induction of labour, and menstruation.

Whereas omega-3 tends to reduce the overactivity of inflammation, omega-6 does the opposite by increasing the inflammatory response.

Why it matters

Our bodies do not make dietary lipids, and we must get them through food. What's more, as omega-3 and omega-6 compete with each other, it is important to have the right balance of each in our diets. Unfortunately, in today’s urbanised diets, we often eat a lot more omega-6 than omega-3, and this may have detrimental effects on our brains.

Too much inflammation may affect nerve signalling and alter mood and cognition, especially when a genetic disorder already makes them more sensitive to a poor diet.

Our study

We are studying how levels of dietary lipids affect healthy cells. This will allow us to understand how the concentration of omega-6 and omega-3 affects brain cells and what this means for brain health. 

In particular, we will consider how these changes in lipid metabolism lead to psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder. We will first do this by studying cells where the FADS2 gene has been mutated. This gene encodes the enzyme responsible for dietary lipid metabolism. We ultimately want to know how the cells from someone with bipolar disorder may react to the changing concentration of omega-3 and omega-6.