Vitamin D and MS, ALS, Autism, Alzheimer’s and other nervous system diseases – review

Review: The role of vitamin D in nervous system health and disease

Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology. Volume 39, Issue 5, pages 458–484, August 2013

G. C. DeLuca 1,gabriele.deluca@ndcn.ox.ac.uk

S. M. Kimball 3,

J. Kolasinski 1,

S. V. Ramagopalan 2,

G. C. Ebers 1

1 Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (Clinical Neurology), University of Oxford, Oxford

2 Blizard Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Queen Mary University of London, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK

3 Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Vitamin D and its metabolites have pleomorphic roles in both nervous system health and disease. Animal models have been paramount in contributing to our knowledge and understanding of the consequences of vitamin D deficiency on brain development and its implications for adult psychiatric and neurological diseases. The conflation of in vitro, ex vivo, and animal model data provide compelling evidence that vitamin D has a crucial role in proliferation, differentiation, neurotrophism, neuroprotection, neurotransmission, and neuroplasticity. Vitamin D exerts its biological function not only by influencing cellular processes directly, but also by influencing gene expression through vitamin D response elements. This review highlights the epidemiological, neuropathological, experimental and molecular genetic evidence implicating vitamin D as a candidate in influencing susceptibility to a number of psychiatric and neurological diseases.

The strength of evidence varies for

• schizophrenia,

• autism,

• Parkinson's disease,

• amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,

• Alzheimer's disease, and

• is especially strong for multiple sclerosis.

PDF is behind a paywall

See also VitaminDWiki

• Search VitaminDWiki for "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis" OR ALS 119 items as of Dec 2013

• Overview Alzheimer's-Cognition and Vitamin D

• Overview MS and vitamin D

• Overview Schizophrenia and Vitamin D

• ALS fought by vitamin D - many studies

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis has 4X faster decline if severely low Vitamin D – Nov 2013

• Overview Autism and vitamin D

• Autism treated by Vitamin D: Dr. Cannell - video June 2013 includes reasons why he believes Autism is related to Vitamin D

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