Vitamin D and Cognition: Shedding Light on the Subject?

Vitamin D has been implicated in many aspects of brain function, from altering genetic expression to affecting neuroprotection via modulation of trophic factors. An apparent epidemic of vitamin D deficiency affects patients in all demographics. Two recent systematic reviews have reported no clear association between vitamin D levels and cognitive function, although low vitamin D has been associated with many other neurological disorders, from multiple sclerosis to migraine. A new systematic review is less exclusive than prior publications. The authors searched five databases for English language studies that involved vitamin D and cognition and included a comparison group.

The review included 37 studies of variable design. Data from four stu…