Variety of evidence that Vitamin D helps the brain – July 2014

https://vitamindwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page_id=8392


Vitamin D as a Neurosteroid Affecting the Developing and Adult Brain

Annual Review of Nutrition, Vol. 34:117-141 - July 2014, DOI: 10.1146/annurev-nutr-071813-105557
Natalie J. Groves,1 John J. McGrath,1,2,3 and Thomas H.J. Burne1,2,  t.burne@uq.edu.au

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent throughout the world, and growing evidence supports a requirement for optimal vitamin D levels for the healthy developing and adult brain. Vitamin D has important roles in proliferation and differentiation, calcium signaling within the brain, and neurotrophic and neuroprotective actions; it may also alter neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity. Recent experimental studies highlight the impact that vitamin D deficiency has on brain function in health and disease. In addition, results from recent animal studies suggest that vitamin D deficiency during adulthood may exacerbate underlying brain disorders and/or worsen recovery from brain stressors. An increasing number of epidemiological studies indicate that vitamin D deficiency is associated with a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Vitamin D supplementation is readily available and affordable, and this review highlights the need for further research.
 Download the PDF from Sci-Hub via VitaminDWiki

Sections include
INTRODUCTION
THE ACTIONS OF VITAMIN D WITHIN THE BRAIN
RODENT MODELS OF VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY
LINKS WITH NEUROPSYCHIATRIC AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
CONCLUSION



Google Scholar had 294 studies citing this study as of Aug 2025

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  • High-dose vitamin D3 supplementation in pregnancy and risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in the children at age 10: A randomized clinical trial - Feb 2024 FREE PDF
    • 2800 IU Vitamin D daily during pregnancy decreased the risk of Autism and ADHD
  • The Synaptic and Circuit Functions of Vitamin D in Neurodevelopment Disorders Feb 2023 https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S407731 FREE PDF
  • Maternal vitamin D deficiency and brain functions: a never-ending story - 2023 10.1039/D3FO00166K - FREE PDF
  • Vitamin D and the brain: Genomic and non-genomic actions - Sept 2017, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mce.2017.05.035
  • Vitamin D and Neurological Diseases: An Endocrine View - Nov 2017 FREE PDF
  • Vitamin D and the nervous system - May 2019 https://doi.org/10.1080/01616412.2019.1622872
  • Can Brain Health Be Supported by Vitamin D-Based Supplements? A Critical Review - Sept 2020 https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10090660
  • Associations of vitamin D deficiency with MRI markers of brain health in a community sample - Jan 2021 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2020.04.027
  • Vitamin D and brain health: the need for vitamin D supplementation and sensible sun exposure- Holick Sept 2014 has the following chart

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113 VitaminDWiki pages have BRAIN in the title (as of July 2025)

This list is automatically updated

Items found: 113
Title Modified
Prenatal Vitamin B12 improves brains, 13 of 19 studies – May 2024 12 Jun, 2025
Novel ways to get Vitamin D into the brain (topical, inhale, etc.) – April 2025 27 Apr, 2025
Traumatic Brain Injudry increases risk of Alzheimer's and dementia - perhaps via virus activation - Jan 2025 12 Jan, 2025
Brain Plasticity improves the brain, helps Long-COVID - several studies 17 Oct, 2024
800 mg of Magnesium early in 3rd trimester significantly increased brain activity in preterm infants – RCT May 2024 03 Jun, 2024
Blood-brain barrier decreases with age, how to restore it 19 May, 2024
The brain might also have a microbiome - May 2024 18 May, 2024
Benign Cancers of a portion of the brain increased 1.8 X after vaccines were available - March 2024 24 Mar, 2024
COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain, dropping in IQs - March 2024 20 Mar, 2024
Brain and Vitamin D - many studies 07 Jan, 2024
Lupus can progress to effect brain and nerves - Jan 2024 05 Jan, 2024
Blood–brain barrier dysfunction in multiple sclerosis (improved by vitamin D, etc.) – Jan 2024 16 Dec, 2023
Vitamin D prevented brain damage by High Fructose corn syrup (in rats) – Feb 2024 07 Dec, 2023
The Longevity and Brain Benefits of Vigorous Exercise - Patrick video Dec 2023 05 Dec, 2023
Traumatic Brain Injury treated by Vitamin D - many studies 27 Sep, 2023
1 % weight loss delays brain aging by nearly nine months - RCT April 2023 28 Jul, 2023
Global burden of brain disorders surpasses cardiovascular disease and cancer - July 2023 15 Jul, 2023
Concussions (traumatic brain injury) getting big press coverage, vitamin D might be both a cause and a solution 15 Jul, 2023
Vitamin D levels in the brain vary with both the region and the brain problem – Dec 2022 16 Apr, 2023
Inflammation of small blood vessels in the brain is associated with low vitamin D - April 2023 04 Apr, 2023
Smaller brains associated with low vitamin D (again) – Dec 2022 14 Nov, 2022
Male brains age faster if low vitamin D (perhaps male-pattern baldness fights this) - Oct 2022 31 Oct, 2022
Brain cells can probably activate Vitamin D without liver or kidney (at least in rats) – Sept 2017 25 Oct, 2022
Surgeries to re-establish blood in brain, heart, etc. are far more successful with high Vitamin D levels – March 2022 08 Oct, 2022
Traumatic Brain Injury recovered faster if high vitamin D (review of 58 studies) – April 2021 09 Jun, 2022
Vitamin D can also fight COVID induced brain problems (behind paywall) – April 2022 04 Apr, 2022
Immune system both activates and uses vitamin D (in brain, fight COVID, etc.) - March 2022 16 Mar, 2022
Brain scans noticed changes in most elderly after COVID infection – March 2022 14 Mar, 2022
Every Parkinson’s brain had a gene modification that limited how much vitamin D was available (CYP27B1) – Feb 2022 15 Feb, 2022
White Matter Hyperintensities (brain) 1.8X more likely if 10 ng less vitamin D - meta-analysis Jan 2022 31 Jan, 2022
Mutated gene, OAS1, which lowers vitamin D in brain, increases Alzheimers and severe COVID-19 – Oct 2021 15 Oct, 2021
Early brain development helped by Iron, Iodine, Vitamin D, Omega-3. Zinc etc. – Oct 2021 08 Oct, 2021
Your Brain on Covid-19 Long-Haul, Dr. Galland video and transcript - Aug 1, 2021 07 Aug, 2021
Vitamin D supplementation resulted in thicker Brain Cortex – RCT June 2021 12 Jun, 2021
Vitamin D and Brain behaviour - review of 10 years - Jan 2021 10 Mar, 2021
Meningitis and other brain infections should be prevented by Vitamin D – June 2014 25 Feb, 2021
Vitamin D3 Attenuates Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption due to TBI (in rats) – Feb 2021 23 Feb, 2021
Fewer days in hospital if 300,000 IU of vitamin D before brain surgery - RCT Feb 2021 25 Jan, 2021
Inhaling Vitamin D nanoemulsion through nose gets lots more to the brain (mice) – July 2020 03 Aug, 2020
Traumatic Brain Injury – 120,000 IU of Vitamin D resulted in 3 fewer days on ventilators – RCT March 2020 17 Mar, 2020
Low maternal Vitamin D results in larger portion of brain associated with autism – Jan 2020 07 Jan, 2020
Traumatic Brain Injuries treated by Vitamin D etc (US patent) – interview Dec 2019 25 Dec, 2019
Restless Leg Syndrome linked to brain genes associated with Vitamin D and Iron – Nov 2019 15 Nov, 2019
Vitamin D levels vary across the brain, what about other body tissues – July 2019 17 Jul, 2019
Recent brain problems appears to be associated with neurofilament light chains (would aide Vitamin D MS. Alz studies) – June 2019 13 Jul, 2019
Vitamin D Deficiency a Brain Disruptor - Spring 2019 14 Jun, 2019
Following brain surgery Vitamin D injections did not raise blood levels much – RCT June 2019 11 Jun, 2019
Omega-3 helps brains of seniors – May 2019 04 Jun, 2019
Variety of evidence that Vitamin D helps the brain – July 2014 25 May, 2019
Vitamin B12 treats Traumatic Brain Injury in mice – April 2019 21 May, 2019
Traumatic Brain Injuries routinely treated by Vitamin D, Omega-3, Progesterone and Gluatmine 15 May, 2019
Traumatic Brain Injury recovery helped by injection of 100,000 IU of Vitamin D – March 2019 13 May, 2019
Resveratrol and Brain Mitochondria: a Review – March 2018 28 Apr, 2019
Off topic: Limbic System and Brain can both be retrained (plasticity) – March 2019 17 Mar, 2019
Hypothesis – Brain plasticity improved by Vitamin D – Feb 2019 20 Feb, 2019
Standard Omega-3 not get past blood-brain barrier in seniors at high risk of Alzheimer’s – Patrick hypothesis Oct 2018 25 Dec, 2018
Omega-3 is important for Brain Health during all phases of life – Aug 2018 08 Dec, 2018
Poor blood-brain barrier following stroke if low vitamin D (in rats) – RCT Feb 2019 01 Dec, 2018
Amyloid brain plaque both prevented and removed by high vitamin D (in mice) – Aug 2018 23 Nov, 2018
Perhaps drugs such as inhaled vitamin D can get directly to the brain – March 2018 19 Nov, 2018
Brain injury disability associated with lower vitamin D – Oct 2018 20 Oct, 2018
Brain cancer in 175 countries related to low UVB and low vitamin D – Oct 2010 03 Oct, 2018
Autistics and Schizophrenics have 3X lower Vitamin B12 levels in the brain – Jan 2016 01 Oct, 2018
The Role of Vitamin D in Brain Health: A Mini Literature Review – Sept 2018 15 Sep, 2018
Brain is helped by Omega-3 during all phases of life – Aug 2018 21 Aug, 2018
Following strokes, brain scans (MRI) 3X worse in those having low vitamin D – July 2018 25 Jul, 2018
Smaller brains (Intracranial Volume) associated with lower vitamin D – July 2018 21 Jul, 2018
Omega-3: An Intelligent Decision for Brain Nutrition (book chapter) April 2018 24 Apr, 2018
5 Traumatic brain injuries resulted in 2.8 X increased risk of dementia – April 2018 11 Apr, 2018
Woolly mammoth brains, like mammal brains, were a good source of Omega-3 – March 2018 07 Apr, 2018
ADHD 4 year-olds – smaller brain regions proportional to ADHD severity – March 2018 26 Mar, 2018
60 percent of preemies have brain damage from lack of brain Oxygen, which is associated with low vitamin D – Feb 2018 22 Feb, 2018
Brain Tumor surgery – will previous injection of 300,000 IU Vitamin D help – RCT 2018 29 Dec, 2017
Off topic: Brain Plasticity (best way to exercise your brain) – Interview Dec 2012 08 Dec, 2017
Dementia risk reduced 29 percent by just 10 hours of computer brain plasticity training – RCT Dec 2017 08 Dec, 2017
Nerve growth and survival depends on BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), which is associated with Vitamin D 19 Nov, 2017
Brain may deal with all forms of Vitamin D (rat brain) – Sept 2017 06 Nov, 2017
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury prevented with Omega-3, Resveratrol, etc (in rats) – Oct 2017 10 Oct, 2017
Lymphatic system discovered in brain (what about Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Omega-3 and Vitamin D) – Oct 2017 07 Oct, 2017
Active form of vitamin D directly protects the blood–brain barrier in multiple sclerosis – Aug 2017 26 Aug, 2017
300,000 IU Vitamin D injection before brain tumor surgery – RCT to finish Dec 2017 20 Aug, 2017
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury reduced by Vitamin D – May 2014 07 Aug, 2017
Infants getting 1 g of Omega-3 for 12 weeks got better brains – RCT March 2017 18 Mar, 2017
Sustained brain attention appears to vary with vitamin D levels – March 2016 21 Jan, 2017
Glioma (brain, spinal cancer) 40 percent less likely if male vitamin D levels were high 15 years earlier – Aug 2015 25 Dec, 2016
Cognitive decline after traumatic brain injury reduced by Omega-3 (mice) – Nov 2016 06 Dec, 2016
Traumatic brain injury treated by Vitamin D Progesterone Omega-3 and glutamine – May 2013 11 Sep, 2016
Zika causes brain problems in adult (mice) having poor immune systems– Nov 2016 22 Aug, 2016
Magnesium L-Threonate – tiny amount more bioavailable to brain but far more expensive– June 2016 16 May, 2016
Malaria in mice brains, and associated inflammation, prevented by Vitamin D intervention – July 2014 01 May, 2016
Fructose altered hundreds of brain genes (in rats) unless also take Omega-3 – April 2016 01 May, 2016
High-fructose diet slows recovery from brain injury - TBI, rats - Oct 2015 01 May, 2016
Benefits of Omega-3 on brain development 30 Apr, 2016
Football Brain injuries prevented by Omega-3 – RCT Jan 2016 08 Feb, 2016
Traumatic Brain Injury in military - vitamin D - 2014 08 Feb, 2016
Magnesium may be an important way to treat brain trauma 12 Oct, 2015
Less vitamin D, bigger brain - humans and animals - Jan 2015 11 Aug, 2015
Cognitively impaired brain atrophy was slowed 40 percent by Omega-3 and B vitamins – RCT July 2015 14 Jul, 2015
Fewer white spots in MRI brain scans if had more vitamin D – Jan 2014 31 May, 2015
Parkinsons' disease and MRI white matter in brain 25 Feb, 2015
Brains of seniors had 60 percent more white matter abnormalities if low vitamin D – March 2015 25 Feb, 2015
Vitamin D aided progesterone in reducing traumatic brain injury – RCT Dec 2012 03 Jan, 2015
Vitamin D improved brains in aging rats – Sept 2014 03 Oct, 2014
33 percent more white matter abnormality in brain (periventricular WMA) if low vitamin D – July 2014 15 Jul, 2014
Hypothesis: Chemo brain and other cognitive impairements are associated with low vitamin D 09 Jul, 2014
Brain (Alzheimer’s) worked better with Vitamin D intervention – meta-analysis July 2013 05 May, 2014
Low vitamin D is associated with larger brain – Feb 2014 16 Feb, 2014
Low vitamin D is bad for the rat brain (and probably human brain) – Dec 2013 19 Jan, 2014
Low vitamin D associated with brain atrophy in MS – April 2010 19 Jan, 2014
Brain lesions might be associated with vitamin D deficiency – March 2012 19 Jan, 2014
Autism has different causes but same inflammation in brain in half of autistics – May 2011 13 Jul, 2013
Parkinson disease 2X more likely after brain injury – which usually reduces vitamin D – Nov 2012 13 Nov, 2012
If less than 20 ng then 2X more likely to be fatigued after brain injury - April 2010 05 Nov, 2011

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