Serum lipid fatty acids and temporal processing acuity in children with oral clefts

We investigated the relation between a biological factor (fatty acids, FA) and a cognitive processing speed factor (temporal processing acuity, TPA) that are both suggested to relate to neuronal and cognitive functioning. Blood samples of 49 ten-year-old children with oral clefts were collected for FA analysis in serum triglycerides, cholesteryl esters, and phospholipids on the same day as they performed behavioral TPA tasks (simultaneity/nonsimultaneity judgments) in several perceptual modalities (visual, auditory, tactile, audiotactile, visuotactile, and audiovisual). This population has larger than expected variation in the relevant cognitive measures (TPA, learning ability, and intelligence). Sequential regression analyses (adjusted for age, gender, and cleft type) showed that saturated FAs were not generally associated with TPA. Monounsaturated erucic and nervonic acids were inversely related with TPA. Of the polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids were positively associated with TPA, whereas gamma-linolenic acid was inversely related to TPA. In summary, we found significant relations between a biological (certain FAs) and a cognitive factor (TPA).