Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2025

Using Retinal Imaging to Study Dementia
Published on: November 6, 2017
Brain vitamin D forms, cognitive decline, and neuropathology in community-dwelling older adults
M Kyla Shea1, Kathryn Barger1, Bess Dawson-Hughes1
1Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Introduction:
Vitamin D purportedly protects against cognitive decline and dementia based on observational data using circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D). Little is known about vitamin D in the human brain and the association with dementia or neuropathology.
Methods:
Decedents of the Rush Memory and Aging Project (n = 290) had vitamin D concentrations measured in four brain regions. Associations with cognitive and neuropathological outcomes were estimated using linear and logistic regression.
Results:
The main form of vitamin D in all brain regions measured was 25(OH)D3 . Higher brain 25(OH)D3 concentrations were associated with a 25% to 33% lower odds of dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at the last visit before death (all P ≤ .031). However, brain 25(OH)D concentrations were not associated with any post-mortem neuropathology outcome studied.
Discussion:
Higher brain 25(OH)D3 concentrations were associated with better cognitive function prior to death. Additional research is needed to clarify the specific mechanisms underlying this potentially protective relationship.
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