DHA effects in Parkinson disease depression

A growing importance has been placed on the recognition and supervision of non-motor features of Parkinson's disease (PD). Depression has been estimated to affect one in three individuals with PD and can lead to worse health outcomes and decreased quality of life. Anxiety, apathy and anhedonia further complicate PD outcomes. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, participants (individuals with mild to moderate PD; n = 24) were randomly assigned to treatment (800 mg/d docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 290 mg/d eicosapentaenoic acid, a precursor to DHA) or placebo (an equicaloric amount of corn oil). Treatment duration was 6 months. Treatment had no statistically significant effect on rate of change on either Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale or Hoehn-Yahr Scale score. However, 75% of DHA-treated patients, reduced Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression total score by at least 50%, compared with only 25% into the placebo group. At the end of the six-month study, DHA integration reduced the depressive symptoms.