Serum vitamin D and hippocampal gray matter volume in schizophrenia

• DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2015.06.006
• Publication Date: 2015-06-24T20:43:56Z
• Authors: Venkataram Shivak...; Sunil V. Kalmady; Anekal C. Amaresha; Dania Jose; Janardhanan C. Na...; Sri Mahavir Agarwal; Boban Joseph; Ganesan Venkatasu...; Vasanthapuram Ravi; Matcheri S. Keshavan; Bangalore N. Gang...
• Keywords: Voxel-based morphometry

Disparate lines of evidence including epidemiological and case-control studies have increasingly implicated vitamin D in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to dysfunction of the hippocampus--a brain region hypothesized to be critically involved in schizophrenia. In this study, we examined for potential association between serum vitamin D level and hippocampal gray matter volume in antipsychotic-naïve or antipsychotic-free schizophrenia patients (n = 35). Serum vitamin D level was estimated using 25-OH vitamin D immunoassay. Optimized voxel-based morphometry was used to analyze 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (1-mm slice thickness). Ninety-seven percent of the schizophrenia patients (n = 34) had sub-optimal levels of serum vitamin D (83%, deficiency; 14%, insufficiency). A significant positive correlation was seen between vitamin D and regional gray matter volume in the right hippocampus after controlling for age, years of education and total intracranial volume (Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) coordinates: x = 35, y = -18, z = -8; t = 4.34 pFWE(Corrected) = 0.018). These observations support a potential role of vitamin D deficiency in mediating hippocampal volume deficits, possibly through neurotrophic, neuroimmunomodulatory and glutamatergic effects.