The Emerging Role of Vitamin D in Neurological Health and Disease

Abstract

Vitamin D has come up as a pluripotent biochemical modulator of several systemic functions including its well-established musculoskeletal effects functioning as well as other key roles in nervous, cardiac, immune, vascular, and endocrinological systems. It undergoes metabolic activation in the skin, liver, and kidneys to exert its systemic actions primarily through Vitamin D receptor-mediated gene expression. In recent times, the involvement of Vitamin D has been documented in the regulation of neurotrophins, neural differentiation, and maturation, and the synthesis of neuromodulators including acetylcholine, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid. Clinical studies have also highlighted the involvement of Vitamin D in neurological disorders, thereby underscoring its potential in the clinical management of such disorders. Further, research is required to determine the multipronged roles of Vitamin D and its molecular pathways in neurophysiology for the potential prevention and treatment of neurological dysfunction.