TY - JOUR
T1 - Low Vitamin D levels predict clinical features of schizophrenia
AU - Cieslak, Kristina
AU - Feingold, Jordyn
AU - Antonius, Daniel
AU - Walsh-Messinger, Julie
AU - Dracxler, Roberta
AU - Rosedale, Mary
AU - Aujero, Nicole
AU - Keefe, David
AU - Goetz, Deborah
AU - Goetz, Raymond
AU - Malaspina, Dolores
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by RC1MH088843-02 and the NYU CTSA grant UL1TR000038 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), NIH .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2014/11/1
Y1 - 2014/11/1
N2 - Vitamin D plays crucial roles in neuroprotection and neurodevelopment, and low levels are commonly associated with schizophrenia. We considered if the association was spurious or causal by examining the association of Vitamin D with Leukocyte Telomere Length (LTL), a marker of cellular aging. Vitamin D levels in 22 well-characterized schizophrenia cases were examined with respect to symptoms, cognition, and functioning. LTL was assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The results showed that 91% (20) had deficient or insufficient Vitamin D levels, which were associated with excitement and grandiosity, social anhedonia, and poverty of speech. Sex-specific analyses showed strong associations of hypovitamintosis D to negative symptoms and decreased premorbid adjustment in males, and to lesser hallucinations and emotional withdrawal, but increased anti-social aggression in females. In females LTL was furthermore associated with Vitamin D levels. This study demonstrates a relationship of low vitamin D levels with increased cellular aging in females. It is also the first study to demonstrate potential sex-specific profiles among schizophrenia cases with hypovitaminosis.
AB - Vitamin D plays crucial roles in neuroprotection and neurodevelopment, and low levels are commonly associated with schizophrenia. We considered if the association was spurious or causal by examining the association of Vitamin D with Leukocyte Telomere Length (LTL), a marker of cellular aging. Vitamin D levels in 22 well-characterized schizophrenia cases were examined with respect to symptoms, cognition, and functioning. LTL was assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The results showed that 91% (20) had deficient or insufficient Vitamin D levels, which were associated with excitement and grandiosity, social anhedonia, and poverty of speech. Sex-specific analyses showed strong associations of hypovitamintosis D to negative symptoms and decreased premorbid adjustment in males, and to lesser hallucinations and emotional withdrawal, but increased anti-social aggression in females. In females LTL was furthermore associated with Vitamin D levels. This study demonstrates a relationship of low vitamin D levels with increased cellular aging in females. It is also the first study to demonstrate potential sex-specific profiles among schizophrenia cases with hypovitaminosis.
KW - Aggression
KW - Hypovitaminosis D
KW - Negative symptoms
KW - Schizophrenia
KW - Telomere length
KW - Vitamin D
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U2 - 10.1016/j.schres.2014.08.031
DO - 10.1016/j.schres.2014.08.031
M3 - Article
C2 - 25311777
AN - SCOPUS:84922462454
SN - 0920-9964
VL - 159
SP - 543
EP - 545
JO - Schizophrenia Research
JF - Schizophrenia Research
IS - 2-3
ER -