scholarly journals Vitamin D is crucial for maternal care and offspring social behaviour in rats

2018 ◽  
Vol 237 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathanael J Yates ◽  
Dijana Tesic ◽  
Kirk W Feindel ◽  
Jeremy T Smith ◽  
Michael W Clarke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Maternal Care ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Brain Morphology ◽  
Male Adult ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Pup Retrieval

Early life vitamin D plays a prominent role in neurodevelopment and subsequent brain function, including schizophrenic-like outcomes and increasing evidence for an association with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we investigate how early life vitamin D deficiency during rat pregnancy and lactation alters maternal care and influences neurodevelopment and affective, cognitive and social behaviours in male adult offspring. Sprague–Dawley rats were placed on either a vitamin D control (2195 IU/kg) or deficient diet (0 IU/kg) for five weeks before timed mating, and diet exposure was maintained until weaning of offspring on postnatal day (PND) 23. MRI scans were conducted to assess brain morphology, and plasma corticosterone levels and neural expression of genes associated with language, dopamine and glucocorticoid exposure were characterised at PND1, PND12 and 4 months of age. Compared to controls, vitamin D-deficient dams exhibited decreased licking and grooming of their pups but no differences in pup retrieval. Offspring neurodevelopmental markers were unaltered, but vitamin D-deficient pup ultrasonic vocalisations were atypical. As adults, males that had been exposed to vitamin D deficiency in early life exhibited decreased social behaviour, impaired learning and memory outcomes and increased grooming behaviour, but unaltered affective behaviours. Accompanying these behavioural changes was an increase in lateral ventricle volume, decreased cortical FOXP2 (a protein implicated in language and communication) and altered neural expression of genes involved in dopamine and glucocorticoid-related pathways. These data highlight that early life levels of vitamin D are an important consideration for maternal behavioural adaptations as well as offspring neuropsychiatry.

scholarly journals Prevalence and Correlates of Vitamin D Deficiency among Young South African Infants: A Birth Cohort Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1500
Author(s):  
Jabulani R. Ncayiyana ◽  
Leonardo Martinez ◽  
Elizabeth Goddard ◽  
Landon Myer ◽  
Heather J. Zar
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Child Health ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Birth Cohort ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Birth Cohort Study ◽  
Young Infants

Early-life vitamin D deficiency is associated with adverse child health outcomes, but the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its correlates in infants remains underexplored, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its correlates among young infants in South Africa. This study included 744 infants, aged 6–10 weeks from the Drakenstein Child Health Study, a population-based birth cohort. Infants were categorized into distinct categories based on serum 25(OH)D concentration level including deficient (<50 nmol/L), insufficient (50–74 nmol/L), and sufficient (≥75 nmol/L). Using multivariable Tobit and logistic regression models, we examined the correlates of serum 25(OH)D3 levels. The overall prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 81% (95% confidence intervals (CI]) 78–83). Multivariable regression analysis showed that serum 25(OH)D3 concentration was independently associated with study site, socioeconomic status, and sex. Birth in winter and breastfeeding were the strongest predictors of lower serum 25(OH)D3 concentration levels. Compared to non-breastfed children, children breastfed were at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency (AOR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.04–3.67) and breastfeeding for more than one month was associated with greater likelihood of vitamin D deficiency (AOR, 5.40; 95% CI, 2.37–12.32) and lower vitamin D concentrations (−16.22 nmol/L; 95% CI, −21.06, −11.39). Vitamin D deficiency in infants is ubiquitous, under-recognised, and strongly associated with season of birth and breastfeeding in this setting. Nutritional interventions with vitamin D supplementation in national health programs in low- and middle-income countries are urgently needed to improve early-life vitamin D status in infants.

scholarly journals Vitamin D deficiency serves as a precursor to stunted growth and central adiposity in zebrafish

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan M. Knuth ◽  
Debabrata Mahapatra ◽  
Dereje Jima ◽  
Debin Wan ◽  
Bruce D. Hammock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Somatic Growth ◽  
Early Life Stage ◽  
Cytokine Signaling ◽  
Central Adiposity ◽  
Stage Development ◽  
Life Stage Development

Abstract Emerging evidence demonstrates the importance of sufficient vitamin D (1α, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3) levels during early life stage development with deficiencies associated with long-term effects into adulthood. While vitamin D has traditionally been associated with mineral ion homeostasis, accumulating evidence suggests non-calcemic roles for vitamin D including metabolic homeostasis. In this study, we examined the hypothesis that vitamin D deficiency (VDD) during early life stage development precedes metabolic disruption. Three dietary cohorts of zebrafish were placed on engineered diets including a standard laboratory control diet, a vitamin D null diet, and a vitamin D enriched diet. Zebrafish grown on a vitamin D null diet between 2–12 months post fertilization (mpf) exhibited diminished somatic growth and enhanced central adiposity associated with accumulation and enlargement of visceral and subcutaneous adipose depots indicative of both adipocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia. VDD zebrafish exhibited elevated hepatic triglycerides, attenuated plasma free fatty acids and attenuated lipoprotein lipase activity consistent with hallmarks of dyslipidemia. VDD induced dysregulation of gene networks associated with growth hormone and insulin signaling, including induction of suppressor of cytokine signaling. These findings indicate that early developmental VDD impacts metabolic health by disrupting the balance between somatic growth and adipose accumulation.

scholarly journals Rickets treatment improves more than bone health in toddler with autism spectrum disorder: A brief report

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 2050313X1987002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leah D Stalnaker ◽  
Priya Prasher ◽  
Susan Flesher
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Case Report ◽  
Effective Treatment ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Developmental Delay ◽  
Bone Health ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder

Children with autism spectrum disorder have been found to have lower levels of vitamin D than their peers. Our case report supports the hypothesis that vitamin D may be an effective treatment for developmental delay in autism. In addition, we review the literature surrounding vitamin D deficiency as a potential cause of autism spectrum disorder and the role that vitamin D may play in treatment.

Vitamin D Deficiency and Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (21) ◽  
pp. 2460-2474
Author(s):  
Martina Siracusano ◽  
Assia Riccioni ◽  
Roberta Abate ◽  
Arianna Benvenuto ◽  
Paolo Curatolo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Potential Efficacy ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Core Symptoms

: Vitamin D is a neurosteroid hormone crucially involved in neurodevelopment. Neural cell proliferation, neurotransmission, oxidative stress and immune function represent the main mechanisms mediated by vitamin D in the Central Nervous System. Therefore, its deficiency during pregnancy and early childhood may significantly impact on a developing brain, leading to possible adverse neuropsychological outcomes including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Significant vitamin D deficiency is described within children affected by ASD and in pregnant mothers whose offspring will later develop ASD, suggesting a possible role of the hormone as a contributing risk factor in the etiopathogenesis of ASD. We reviewed the actual literature on the potential contributing role of prenatal and early postnatal vitamin D deficiency in ASD etiopathogenesis, at both genetic and environmental levels, and the possible effect of vitamin D supplementation in autistic children. Conflicting but promising results emerged on the topic. : Further Randomized Controlled Trials studies carried out during pregnancy and early infancy are necessary for better understanding the possible contribution of vitamin D deficiency in the etiopathogenesis of autism and the potential efficacy of the hormone supplementation in the improvement of ASD core symptoms.

scholarly journals Vitamin D deficiency in early life accelerates Type 1 diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice

Diabetologia ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Giulietti ◽  
C. Gysemans ◽  
K. Stoffels ◽  
E. van Etten ◽  
B. Decallonne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Type 1 Diabetes ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Diabetic Mice
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