Table 1.
Main fatty acids in human pre-frontal cortex. The most common brain fatty acids are grouped according to their unsaturation degree, reporting common names and chemical classification.
| Classification a C:D n-X |
Common Name b | Pre-Frontal Cortex FAs (%) c | Structure d |
|---|---|---|---|
| SFA | |||
| 12:0 | Lauric acid (LA) | 36 |
|
| 14:0 | Myristic acid (MA) | ||
| 16:0 | Palmitic acid (PA) | ||
| 18:0 | Stearic acid (SA) | ||
| 24:0 | Lignoceric acid (LCA) | ||
| MUFA | |||
| 18:1 n-9 | Oleic acid (OA) | 28 |
|
| 24:1 n-9 | Nervonic acid (NA) | ||
| 16:1 n-7 | Palmitoleic acid (POA) | ||
| 17:1 n-7 | Heptadecenoic acid (HA) | ||
| 18:1 n-7 | Vaccenic acid (VA) | ||
| PUFA | |||
| 22:6 n-3 | Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) | 15–18 DHA ~ 13.5 |
|
| 18:3 n-3 | α-Linolenic acid (ALA) | ||
| 22:5 n-3 | Docosapentaenoic acid (n-3DPA) | ||
| 20:5 n-3 | Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) | ||
| 18:2 n-6 | Linoleic acid (LNA) | 17 AA ~ 9 |
|
| 20:4 n-6 | Arachidonic acid (AA) | ||
| 22:5 n-6 | Docosapentaenoic acid (n-6DPA) | ||
a Classification according to carbon chain length (C) and number of double bonds (D), as well as starting position of double bonds from the last methyl group (n-X). b SFA, saturated fatty acid, MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acid, PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid. c From [27]. d Structures of one fatty acid representative of each class: palmitic acid for SFAs, oleic acid for MUFAs and docosahexaenoic acid for PUFAs.