International Collaborative Study Led by Nova
Southeastern University Researcher
Newswise,
January 27, 2016 – A new study published in the online journal, Public Library
of Science One (PLOS One) found that Vitamin B12 levels in the brain are
significantly decreased in the elderly and are much lower in individuals with
autism or schizophrenia, as compared to their peers at similar ages.
For
example, children with autism under the age of 10 were found to have three
times lower brain B12 levels, which is similar to levels for generally healthy
adults in their 50s, indicating a premature decrease.
The
international research team led by Richard Deth, Ph.D., professor of
pharmacology at Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) College of Pharmacy,
analyzed tissue from otherwise healthy deceased donors along with tissue from
donors who had autism or schizophrenia to make the comparisons.
“These
are particularly significant findings because the differences we found in brain
B12 with aging, autism and schizophrenia are not seen in the blood, which is
where B12 levels are usually measured.” said Dr. Deth.
“The
large deficits of brain B12 from individuals with autism and schizophrenia
could help explain why patients suffering from these disorders experience
neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms.”
The
study also found healthy elderly people in the age range of 61-80 have about
three times lower levels of total brain B12 than younger age groups, which is a
result of normal aging. This normal decrease may help adjust brain metabolism
to sustain its function across the lifespan.
An
active form of B12 called methylcobalamin, or methyl B12, supports normal brain
development by its control through a process known as epigenetic regulation of
gene expression.
Remarkably,
the brain level of methyl B12 was found to be more than 10 times lower in
healthy elderly people than in healthy younger people. A lower than normal
level of methyl B12 in the brain could adversely affect neurodevelopment in
younger years and could disrupt learning and memory later in life.
Both
autism and schizophrenia are associated with oxidative stress, which also plays
an important role in aging, and oxidative stress may underlie the decreased
brain B12 levels observed in this study.
The
findings suggest the need for further research to determine if the use of
supplemental methyl B12 and antioxidants like glutathione could help prevent
oxidative stress and be useful in treating these conditions.
The
research team consisted of Dr. Deth; Yiting Zhang (Northeastern University);
Nathaniel Hodgson (Harvard University); Malav S. Trivedi (Nova Southeastern
University); Hamid Abdolmaleky (Boston University); and Margot Fournier, Michel
Cuenod and Kim Quang Do (Lausanne University, Switzerland).
Their
findings are published in the peer-reviewed journal, PLOS1 in an article titled
“Decreased brain levels of vitamin B12 in aging, autism and schizophrenia.”
Read the full article at: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0146797
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