Essential fatty acids (EFA) are now universally recognized for their profound effects on cardiovascular health, immunological response, and cognitive, visual, and emotional development in infants. In Fatty Acids: Physiological and Behavioral Functions, leading academic and biomedical investigators comprehensively review the status of these special chemical entities in nutrition, medicine, psychology, and pharmacology. Topics range from a discussion of EFA basic mechanisms to their effects on individual psychiatry and behavior, and include extensive coverage of pathology, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in CNS development, and phospholipid and fatty acid composition and metabolism. The contributors fully examine the competition involved in maintaining tissue EFA, tissue physiology as proof of EFA importance, the biomarkers associated with complex EFA-mediated events, and the significant role of EFA in vision, learning, and behavior. They also demonstrate the physiological consequences of dietary EFA supply for health maintenance and disease prevention. Comprehensive and forward-looking, Fatty Acids: Physiological and Behavioral Functions reviews and critically evaluates our current knowledge of essential fatty acids, setting the stage for the oncoming wave of discovery about the biochemical and molecular functions of EFA, as well as their critical role in human physiology, immunology, and behavior.