Elsevier

Neuroscience

Volume 118, Issue 3, 25 May 2003, Pages 641-653
Neuroscience

Research paper
Vitamin d3 and brain development

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4522(03)00040-XGet rights and content

Abstract

Evidence for the presence of the vitamin D receptor in brain implies this vitamin may have some function in this organ. This study investigates whether vitamin D3 acts during brain development. We demonstrate that rats born to vitamin D3-deficient mothers had profound alterations in the brain at birth. The cortex was longer but not wider, the lateral ventricles were enlarged, the cortex was proportionally thinner and there was more cell proliferation throughout the brain. There were reductions in brain content of nerve growth factor and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and reduced expression of p75NTR, the low-affinity neurotrophin receptor.

Our findings would suggest that low maternal vitamin D3 has important ramifications for the developing brain.

Section snippets

Maternal vitamin D3 depletion

Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a prepared diet free of vitamin D3 (Dyets Inc., PA, USA) but with normal calcium and phosphorous. Animals were housed under a 12-h light/dark cycle using incandescent lighting free of ultraviolet radiation in the vitamin D3 action spectrum (290–315 nm). After 6 weeks serum vitamin D3 depletion was confirmed prior to mating using a commercial RIA (Diasorin, MN, USA) for 25-OH D3, which provides the best overall indicator of vitamin D3 status from both dietary

Vitamin D3 depletion changed the shape and size of the brain

We initially investigated whether vitamin D3 depletion altered any gross morphological features of brain and discovered several substantial changes (Table 1). Vitamin D-depleted pups were heavier than the control animals and their brains were heavier but the ratio of brain to body weight was not significantly different (Table 1). Vitamin D-depleted pups had hemispheres that were larger and longer but not wider leading to a larger length/width ratio (Table 1). The larger, longer cortex was

Discussion

We show here significant changes in brain development induced by vitamin D3 deficiency in utero. Vitamin D3 deficiency affected brain gross morphology, cellular proliferation and growth factor signalling. These changes were substantial: a 30% increase in hemisphere length, a 200% increase in lateral ventricle volume, a doubling of the mitotic rate in certain brain regions and decreases of 17%, 25% and 30% in the expression of NGF, GDNF and p75NTR, respectively.

Rat pups were bigger at birth in

Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the Stanley Foundation and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.

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