Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41790404›Full record

ArticleMolecular neurobiology2026

Higher Total Omega-3 PUFA Levels and a Lower Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio Are Associated with Lower Temporal Lobe Volume in Alzheimer's Disease.

M Emam, Sara Albadri, Amna Mohamed Ahmed, Iman M Mirza, Halah Abdulrahman Hafiz, Mozdalifah Elnaeem, Yasser Alzamil, Malik Bader Alazzam, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

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Article in Molecular neurobiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

M EmamDepartment of Radiologic Technology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraidah, 51452, Saudi Arabia.
Sara AlbadriRadiological Sciences Program, Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Amna Mohamed AhmedDepartment of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
Iman M MirzaDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Halah Abdulrahman HafizDepartment of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Mozdalifah ElnaeemDiagnostic Radiography Technology Department, College of Nursing and Health Science, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Yasser AlzamilDiagnostic Radiology Department, Applied Medical Sciences College, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.
Malik Bader AlazzamFaculty of Information Technology, Jadara University, Irbid, Jordan. Malikbader2@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7964-1051
Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Research suggests varying effects of fatty acids on cognitive function and brain structure in neurocognitive disorders, but inconsistent findings call for further investigation and advanced neuroimaging techniques. This study investigated the relationship between serum fatty acid levels (omega-3 PUFAs, omega-6 PUFAs, omega-6:omega-3 ratio, MUFAs, and SFAs) and temporal lobe volume in cognitively normal (CN) individuals, those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and those with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The results indicated that, as expected, there was a significant difference in temporal lobe volumes (p < 0.001), with the AD group showing more pronounced reductions in volume compared to both the CN and MCI groups. Unexpectedly, higher plasma omega-3 PUFA levels were associated with reduced temporal lobe volume (β = - 0.31, p = 0.021), and a lower omega-6:omega-3 ratio was also associated with diminished temporal lobe volume (β = 0.26, p = 0.039), both observed only in the AD group, after adjustment for age, gender, education, and APOE ε4 allele status as potential confounders. No significant associations were observed for any lipids with temporal lobe volumes in the CN or MCI groups. Interestingly, the only significant association observed between fatty acids and cognitive function was in the CN group, where higher MUFAs and SFAs were both associated with worse cognitive scores. In short, higher omega-3 PUFA levels and a lower omega-6:omega-3 ratio were associated with reduced temporal lobe volume in Alzheimer's patients not using fatty acid supplements. Notably, this observational cross-sectional study cannot establish causality and should be interpreted cautiously, as the findings may be influenced by residual confounding, non-fasting sampling, potential reverse causality, lack of detailed dietary and longitudinal data, and methodological constraints including limited lipid characterization and region-specific morphometric analysis. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and investigate potential mechanisms.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseFatty Acids, Omega-3Fatty Acids, Omega-6Temporal LobeAgedAged, 80 and overCognitive DysfunctionFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleOrgan SizeFatty Acids, Omega-3Fatty Acids, Omega-6Alzheimer’s diseaseBrain morphometryBrain structureCognitive impairmentFatty acidsOmega-3s

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Registered trials

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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.