Vitamin D deficit is associated with accelerated brain aging in the general population

Elsevier

Available online 19 October 2022, 111558

Psychiatry Research: NeuroimagingHighlights•

Associations of Vitamin D levels with brain age and brain volumes were tested in 1,865 subjects

Vitamin D deficiency was associated with increased brain aging

Vitamin D levels were positively associated with total brain and gray matter volumes

Hippocampal volumes showed no association with vitamin D levels

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with reduced neurocognitive functioning and the neurodegenerative processes. However, existing evidence on brain structural correlates of vitamin D deficiency is controversial. We sought to investigate associations of vitamin D levels with imaging patterns of brain aging. In addition, we investigated whether low vitamin D levels were associated with gray matter volumes, whole brain volumes and hippocampus volumes. Structural MRI data and vitamin D levels were obtained in 1,865 subjects from the general population. Linear regressions were applied to investigate the association of vitamin D levels and vitamin D deficiency with imaging derived brain age, total brain, gray matter and hippocampal volumes. Different sets of covariates were included. Vitamin D deficiency was significantly associated with increased brain age. Also, linear vitamin D levels were significantly associated with total brain and gray matter volumes, while no significant association with hippocampal volume was found. Further interaction analyses showed that this association was only significant for male subjects. Our results support previous findings suggesting that vitamin D-deficient individuals have an accelerated brain aging. In addition, associations between vitamin D levels and total brain/ gray matter volumes suggest neuroprotective effects of vitamin D on the brain.

Key words

Brain structure

hippocampus

nutrition

gray matter

total brain volume

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