Vitamin D and the developing brain

Vitamin D, also called the ‘sunshine hormone’ because it is synthesised in the skin upon exposure to sunlight, is probably best known for its role in calcium uptake and bone formation.

However, research conducted at QBI over the past 20 years has shown that vitamin D is also important for brain development.

When maternal vitamin D levels are low, the risk for a new born to develop psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia or autism later in life doubles in comparison to the general population.

In animal models, a vitamin D deficient maternal diet resulted in the offspring’s brain undergoing subtle changes in certain structures and altered levels of expression of genes involved in brain development.

Another role of vitamin D associated with the above consequences is its involvement in maintaining levels of dopamine, an important neurotransmitter.

Dopamine dysfunction is a central feature of the biology of schizophrenia and, to a lesser extent, autism.

Luckily, some (but not all) of the detrimental effects of vitamin D deficiency are reversible when treated with vitamin D supplements.