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Developmental vitamin D deficiency causes abnormal brain development.
1Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia. Eyles@uq.edu.au
Psychoneuroendocrinology
|June 9, 2009
Summary
Developmental vitamin D (DVD) deficiency may explain schizophrenia's origins and epidemiological links. Animal models show DVD deficiency alters brain development and adult behavior, suggesting vitamin D is a neurosteroid impacting brain development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Vitamin D plays a role in brain development.
- Environmental factors influence brain development and neuropsychiatric diseases like schizophrenia.
- Schizophrenia has developmental origins.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that developmental vitamin D (DVD) deficiency is linked to schizophrenia.
- To establish the biological plausibility of this hypothesis using an animal model.
- To explore the effects of gestational vitamin D deficiency on brain development and behavior.
Main Methods:
- Developed an animal model by inducing transient, gestational vitamin D deficiency in rats.
- Maintained normal calcium levels throughout the study.
- Assessed brain development, gene and protein expression, and behavioral outcomes in offspring.
Main Results:
- DVD deficiency caused mild brain shape distortion, increased lateral ventricle volumes, reduced differentiation, and diminished neurotrophic factor expression in offspring.
- These ventricular volume alterations persisted into adulthood.
- Adult DVD-deficient rats exhibited behavioral sensitivity to psychosis-inducing agents and attentional processing impairments.
Conclusions:
- Vitamin D acts as a neurosteroid with direct effects on brain development.
- Developmental vitamin D deficiency is a plausible biological risk factor for neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia.
- The study provides evidence supporting the link between gestational vitamin D status and neurodevelopmental outcomes relevant to schizophrenia.
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