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  3. Consumption of essential fatty acids and cognitive abilities in college students
Title

Consumption of essential fatty acids and cognitive abilities in college students

    Item Description
    Limited Access
    The author(s) chose to restrict access to this thesis to current Whitman students, faculty, and staff. Please log in to view it.
    Linked Agent
    Creator (cre): Coll, Kathryn Alice
    Creator (cre): Gupta, Devyani Isabel
    Advisor (adv): Herbranson, Wally
    Department (dpt): Whitman College. Psychology Department
    Date
    May 13, 2015
    Graduation Year
    2015
    Abstract

    The regular consumption of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) has been identified as a key element for both the development and retention of cognitive abilities. Similarly, consumption of EFAs during early childhood is associated with enhanced cognitive development. While several aspects of cognition such as attention, memory, and decision making naturally decline with old age, the consumption of EFAs has been shown to slow down natural cognitive decline. Furthermore, previous research has identified that EFA consumption positively correlates with dopamine (Da) neurotransmission, and Da promotes learning within several areas of the brain. Thus, EFAs may have their effects on cognition via dopamine. Therefore, this study hopes to fill the gap in previous research by testing the effect of Omega-3 fatty acid intake on attention, memory, and decision-making in college students. College-aged students were asked to keep a dietary intake log for 5 days before taking a series of cognitive tests. Based on previous research, we hypothesized that when compared to students with a lower Omega-3 diet, students with a higher Omega-3 diet would demonstrate better performance on 1) long-term memory 2) short-term memory 3) impulsivity 4) visual attention, and lastly, 5) mental imagery. The general results of this study showed no significant relationship between Omega-3 intake and cognitive abilities. Future research will help determine if the effect of EFAs on cognition is consistent across the lifespan, or if their influence is specific to the developmental and elderly stages.

    Subject
    Essential Fatty Acids -- Analysis
    Memory -- Mental recall
    Omega-2 Fatty Acids -- n-3 Fatty Acids
    Dopamine -- Dopaminergic
    Psychology of Learning -- Case studies
    Memory -- Short term memory -- Working memory -- Immediate recall
    Thinking -- Decision making -- Methods
    Social sciences
    Academic theses
    Whitman College 2015 -- Dissertation collection -- Psychology Department
    Genre
    Theses
    Extent
    42 pages
    Permanent URL
    http://works.whitman.edu/20151122
    Rights
    http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
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