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Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes
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Effects of vitamin B12 and folate deficiency on brain development in children

Maureen M Black1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA. mblack@peds.umaryland.edu

Food and Nutrition Bulletin
|August 20, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Folate and vitamin B12 deficiencies impact infant development and adult depression risk. This review explores how these nutrient deficits disrupt myelination and inflammation, affecting infant behavior and development.

Area of Science:

  • Nutritional Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Folate deficiency during early pregnancy is linked to neural tube defects.
  • Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficits negatively affect infant brain development.
  • Combined deficiencies increase adult depression risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review mechanisms linking folate and vitamin B12 deficiency to abnormal infant development.
  • To examine the roles of myelination and inflammation in these deficits.
  • To highlight areas for future research in vitamin deficiency and infant outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on folate and vitamin B12.
  • Analysis of mechanisms including myelination and inflammatory processes.
  • Synthesis of findings on infant development and behavioral outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Deficiencies disrupt myelination, crucial for infant brain development.
  • Inflammatory processes are implicated in the negative effects of vitamin deficits.
  • These disruptions are associated with abnormal infant behavior and development.

Conclusions:

  • Folate and vitamin B12 are critical for normal infant development.
  • Disruptions in myelination and inflammation are key pathways linking deficiency to adverse outcomes.
  • Further research on timing of deficiency and prevention strategies is warranted.

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