Incorporation of Dietary Docosahexaenoic Acid into the Central Nervous System of the Yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata

In order to show the involvement of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the development of the central nervous system (CNS) in carangid fish, we conducted tracer experiments by feeding radioactive DHA to larval yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata). Artemia nauplii were enriched with 14C-labeled DHA and fed to larval yellowtail for eight or ten days. Autoradiography of frozen sections, using both electric imaging plates and X-ray sensitive film, clearly showed that DHA was incorporated into and retained in the brain, spinal cord, and eyes. The brain, eyes, gill raker, liver, guts, and other muscle and bone structures were dissected, and radioactivity was measured in each organ by liquid scintillation counter. The results of this study suggest the incorporation of DHA into the brain. Considering our previous results indicating that DHA-free fish cannot form schools, we conclude that the incorporation of DHA into the brain might be a critical factor in the ontogeny of schooling behavior.