Trial reportTranslational psychiatry2019
High-dose eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) improves attention and vigilance in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and low endogenous EPA levels.
Trial report in Translational psychiatry, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 81 citations in OpenAlex.
- Baseline omega-3 nutritional status and supplementation response in pediatric attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and biomarker-stratified meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Adverse event monitoring, assessment, and reporting in nutraceutical and phytoceutical trials for pediatric neuropsychiatric conditions: A systematic review.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Long COVID and long chain fatty acids (LCFAs): Psychoneuroimmunity implication of omega-3 LCFAs in delayed consequences of COVID-19.Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2022Pooled it
- Cortisol and inflammatory biomarker levels in youths with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): evidence from a systematic review with meta-analysis.Translational psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Associations of Dietary Intake on Biological Markers of Inflammation in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2021Pooled it
- Omega-3/6 supplementation for mild to moderate inattentive ADHD: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled efficacy study in Italian children.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2022Trial
- Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids protect against inflammation through production of LOX and CYP450 lipid mediators: relevance for major depression and for human hippocampal neurogenesis.Molecular psychiatry · 2021Trial
- Omega-3 cord plasma proportions and cognitive function trajectories from 5 to 15 years of age: a population-based cohort study.European journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Exploring the link between fatty acids, FADS2 expression, and ADHD using structural equation modeling.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- Microalgae as Novel Food Resources: Technological Breakthroughs, Application Bottlenecks, and Future Pathways.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Omega-3 fatty acids in mental disorders: from neurobiological and metabolic mechanisms to therapeutic potential.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- The effects of omega-3 fatty acids on Wnt activity in iPSC-derived neural stem cells from adult ADHD patients.Neuroscience applied · 2026Article
- Symptom-specific gut microbial and metabolic profiles in ADHD reveal SCFA deficiency as a Key pathogenic mechanism.Gut microbes · 2025Article
- Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation in Children With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).Cureus · 2025Review
- The Efficacy of Nutritional Interventions in Reducing Childhood/Youth Aggressive and Antisocial Behavior: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Campbell systematic reviews · 2025Review
- Gut-Brain Inflammatory Pathways in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: The Role and Therapeutic Potential of Diet.Metabolites · 2025Review
- Unraveling the Interplay Between Metabolism and Neurodevelopment in Health and Disease.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
No studies have examined the relationship between endogenous polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) levels and treatment response to PUFAs. We conducted a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing the effects of high-dose eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 1.2 g) and placebo on cognitive function (continuous performance test) in n = 92 youth (age 6-18-years-old) with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Blood erythrocytes PUFAs were measured before and after treatment, to examine the effects of baseline endogenous EPA levels on treatment response and the effects of EPA treatment on PUFAs levels. Secondary measures included other ADHD symptoms, emotional symptoms, and levels of plasma high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Overall, EPA group improved more than placebo group on focused attention (variability, Effect size (ES) = 0.38, p = 0.041); moreover, within youth with the lowest baseline endogenous EPA levels, EPA group improved more than placebo group in another measure of focused attention (hit reaction time, HRT, ES = 0.89, p = 0.015) and in vigilance (HRT interstimulus interval changes, HRTISIC, ES = 0.83, p = 0.036). Interestingly, EPA group improved less than placebo group in impulsivity (commission errors), both overall and in youth with the highest baseline EPA levels, who also showed less improvement in other ADHD and emotional symptoms. EPA increased blood erythrocytes EPA by 1.6-fold but not DHA levels, and did not affect hs-CRP and BDNF plasma levels. In conclusion, EPA treatment improves cognitive symptoms in ADHD youth, especially if they have a low baseline endogenous EPA level, while youth with high EPA levels may be negatively affected by this treatment.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.