Vitamin D in synaptic plasticity, cognitive function, and neuropsychiatric illness. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Vitamin D in Synaptic Plasticity, Cognitive Function, and Neuropsychiatric Illness.
Trends Neurosci. 2019 Feb 19. Epub 2019 Feb 19. PMID: 30795846
Phoebe E Mayne
Over a billion people worldwide are affected by vitamin D deficiency. Although vitamin D deficiency is associated with impaired cognition, the mechanisms mediating this link are poorly understood. The extracellular matrix (ECM) has now emerged as an important participant of synaptic plasticity and a new hypothesis is that vitamin D may interact with aggregates of the ECM, perineuronal nets (PNNs), to regulate brain plasticity. Dysregulation of PNNs caused by vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the presentation of cognitive deficits. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning the role of vitamin D in brain plasticity and cognition could help identify ways to treat cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric conditions.