The Role of Vitamin D in Neurodegeneration and Other Pathological Processes of the Central Nervous System

Abstract

The nervous system is the most complex organ in the human body, and it is the most essential. However nerve cells are particularly precious as, only like muscle cells, once formed, they do not replicate. This means that neural injuries cannot easily be replaced or repaired. Vitamin D seems to play a pivotal role in protecting these vulnerable and most important structures, but exactly how and to what extend is still subject to debate. Systematically reviewing the vast body of research on the influence of Vitamin D in various neuropathological processes, we found that Vitamin D particularly plays a mitigating role in the development of chronic neurodegeneration and the measured response to acutely acquired traumatic and non-traumatic nerve cells incidents. Adequate serum levels of Vitamin D before the initiation of these processes is increasingly viewed as being neuroprotective. However, comprehensive data on using it as a treatment during the ongoing process or after the injury to neurons is completed are much more ambiguous. A recommendation for testing and supplementation of insufficiencies seems to be well-founded.