Saturated free fatty acids and association with memory formation

Abstract

Polyunsaturated free fatty acids (FFAs) such as arachidonic acid, released by phospholipase activity on membrane phospholipids, have long been considered beneficial for learning and memory and are known modulators of neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity. However, the precise nature of other FFA and phospholipid changes in specific areas of the brain during learning is unknown. Here, using a targeted lipidomics approach to characterise FFAs and phospholipids across the rat brain, we demonstrated that the highest concentrations of these analytes were found in areas of the brain classically involved in fear learning and memory, such as the amygdala. Auditory fear conditioning led to an inc..