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A Proposed Mechanism for Vitamin D Insufficiency and Schizophrenia Risk
A Proposed Mechanism for Vitamin D Insufficiency and Schizophrenia Risk
First published in Psychiatry Weekly, Volume 9, Issue 8; May 19, 2014
There is a well known yet mechanistically unexplained association between vitamin D insufficiency and schizophrenia risk. A study in Schizophrenia Research proposed a potential mechanism for this increased risk. A deficiency in 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) can regulate proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) expression, which is linked to regions of the brain conferring high genetic risk of schizophrenia, and may ultimately, through a series of actions, effect peripheral hyperprolinemia, which is associated with cognitive impairment and psychotic disorders. The investigators compared fasting 25(OH)D in 64 patients and 90 matched controls, then tested for a mediating effect of hyperprolinemia. Schizophrenia patients had significantly lower levels of 25(OH)D compared to controls. An insufficient level of 25(OH)D was also associated with a 3-times greater odds of hyperprolinemia. Further testing established that hyperprolinemia may account for over one-third of the effect of 25(OH)D insufficiency on schizophrenia risk. www.schres-journal.com/article/S0920-9964(14)00137-6/abstract
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