BACKGROUND Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have been long implicated in the etiopathogenesis of mental illnesses, including disorders characterized by high impulsivity. The objective of most of the studies in this field is to determine the effect of omega-3 supplementation on the impulsive symptoms. In contrast, studies analyzing basal PUFA composition in patients with impulsive behaviors are very scarce, results are not yet conclusive, and to date, no publication has specifically evaluated this in gambling disorder. Therefore, the main purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between basal PUFA composition of plasma and erythrocyte membrane and impulsivity in subjects with gambling disorder. METHODS It is an observational and cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of fifty-five men with gambling disorder, who voluntarily accepted to participate. Basal composition of PUFA in plasma and erythrocyte membrane was assessed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Trait impulsivity was measured by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11 (BIS-11). RESULTS Arachidonic acid (AA)/eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ratio in the erythrocyte membrane was negatively correlated with total scores in BIS-11. It was also observed that impulsive gamblers had a higher proportion of EPA and a lower value of AA/EPA and AA/docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ratio in erythrocyte membrane than non-impulsive gamblers. CONCLUSIONS These results support the hypothesis that alteration of basal PUFA composition exists in disorders characterized by high impulsivity, although the direction of this is still unknown. Unfortunately, the empirical literature on this field is non-existent at the time and we have no direct means to support or refute these outcomes. Further research is needed to determine the relationship between essential fatty acids and disorders characterized by high impulsivity.

中文翻译：

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赌博中的必需脂肪酸和Barratt冲动性。

背景技术多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFA）长期以来涉及精神疾病的发病机理，包括以高冲动为特征的疾病。该领域大多数研究的目的是确定补充omega-3对冲动症状的影响。相比之下，对具有冲动行为的患者的基础PUFA成分进行分析的研究非常匮乏，结果尚无定论，迄今为止，尚无任何出版物专门针对赌博性疾病进行评估。因此，本研究的主要目的是研究赌博性疾病患者血浆和红细胞膜的基础PUFA组成与冲动性之间的关系。方法这是一项观察和横断面研究。样本包括55名赌博失调的人，自愿接受参加。通过气相色谱和质谱法评估血浆和红细胞膜中PUFA的基础组成。特质冲动性通过Barratt冲动量表11版（BIS-11）进行测量。结果红细胞膜中花生四烯酸（AA）/二十碳五烯酸（EPA）的比例与BIS-11总分呈负相关。还观察到，与非冲动的赌徒相比，冲动的赌徒在红细胞膜中具有较高的EPA比例和较低的AA / EPA和AA /二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）比值。结论这些结果支持这样的假说，即以高冲动为特征的疾病中存在基础PUFA组成的改变，尽管其方向尚不清楚。不幸，当时尚无有关该领域的经验文献，我们没有直接的手段来支持或驳斥这些结果。需要进一步的研究来确定必需脂肪酸与以高冲动为特征的疾病之间的关系。