Journal
SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH
Volume 159, Issue 2-3, Pages 543-545Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2014.08.031
Keywords
Schizophrenia; Vitamin D; Hypovitaminosis D; Telomere length; Aggression; Negative symptoms
Categories
Funding
- NYU CTSA, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), NIH [UL1TR000038]
- [RC1MH088843-02]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Vitamin D plays crucial roles in neuroprotection and neurodevelopment, and low levels are commonly associated with schizophrenia. We considered if the association was spurious or causal by examining the association of Vitamin D with Leukocyte Telomere Length (LTL), a marker of cellular aging. Vitamin D levels in 22 well characterized schizophrenia cases were examined with respect to symptoms, cognition, and functioning. LTL was assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The results showed that 91% (20) had deficient or insufficient Vitamin D levels, which were associated with excitement and grandiosity, social anhedonia, and poverty of speech. Sex-specific analyses showed strong associations of hypovitamintosis D to negative symptoms and decreased premorbid adjustment in males, and to lesser hallucinations and emotional withdrawal, but increased anti-social aggression in females. In females LTL was furthermore associated with Vitamin D levels. This study demonstrates a relationship of low vitamin D levels with increased cellular aging in females. It is also the first study to demonstrate potential sex-specific profiles among schizophrenia cases with hypovitaminosis. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available