根據一項最新研究發現，在富含脂肪的魚諸如大麻哈魚體內發現的Omega-3型脂肪酸，與大腦灰質容量的增加有關，該區域與人的情緒和行為有聯系。

該項研究的結果在2007年3月6日匈牙利布達佩斯舉行的美國心理學會年度會議上進行了報道，由美國匹茲堡大學(Pitt; PA, USA; www.pitt.edu)心理學系的心血管行為醫學項目的博士后Sarah M. Conklin博士報道的。

盡管這些結果提示，omega-3s能夠促進大腦情緒和情感調節相關區域的結構改善，在嚴重抑郁疾病的時候，這些區域的灰質減少；但是研究人員指出需要更多的研究，以確定吃魚是否真的能夠導致大腦的改變。

Omega-3 Found to Increase Brain’s Gray Matter  
 
Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish such as salmon, are associated with increased gray matter volume in areas of the brain typically linked to mood and behavior according to new research.

The study’s results were presented March 6, 2007, by Sarah M. Conklin, Ph.D., postdoctoral scholar at the Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Program in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt; PA, USA; www.pitt.edu), at the American Psychosomatic Society’s annual meeting, held in Budapest, Hungary.

While this finding suggests that omega-3s may promote structural improvement in areas of the brain related to mood and emotion regulation--the same areas where gray matter is decreased in individuals who have mood disorders such as major depressive disorder--investigators noted that more research is needed to determine whether fish consumption actually causes changes in the brain.