Vitamin D receptors and vitamin D metabolizing enzymes are present in the central nervous system. Calcitriol (the active vitamin D hormone) affects numerous neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors, relevant for mental disorders. In the case of depressive disorders, considerable evidence supports a role of suboptimal vitamin D levels. However, the data are not conclusive and further studies are necessary. Especially, the relative importance of the pineal-melatonin system versus the vitamin D-endocrine system for the pathogenesis of seasonal affective disorders is presently unresolved. Two diagnoses, schizophrenia and autism, have been hypothetically linked to developmental (prenatal) vitamin D deficiency, however, also in adult patients, low levels have been reported, supporting the notion that vitamin D deficiency may not only be a predisposing developmental factor but also relate to the adult patients' psychiatric state. Two cases are described, whose psychiatric improvement coincided with effective treatment of vitamin D deficiency. 2010 Elsevier B.V.
CITATION STYLE
M.B., H. (2010). Vitamin D, light and mental health. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology. M.B. Humble, Psychiatric Services for the Elderly, Uppsala University Hospital, SE-750 17 Uppsala, Sweden. E-mail: mats.humble@gmail.com: Elsevier (P.O. Box 211, Amsterdam 1000 AE, Netherlands). Retrieved from http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&PAGE=reference&D=emed9&NEWS=N&AN=2010497306
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