Does Vitamin C Deficiency Affect Cognitive Development and Function?

Author: Hansen Stine Normann   Tveden-Nyborg Pernille   Lykkesfeldt Jens  

Publisher: MDPI

E-ISSN: 2072-6643|6|9|3818-3846

ISSN: 2072-6643

Source: Nutrients, Vol.6, Iss.9, 2014-09, pp. : 3818-3846

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Abstract

Vitamin C is a pivotal antioxidant in the brain and has been reported to have numerous functions, including reactive oxygen species scavenging, neuromodulation, and involvement in angiogenesis. Absence of vitamin C in the brain has been shown to be detrimental to survival in newborn SVCT2(−/−) mice and perinatal deficiency have shown to reduce hippocampal volume and neuron number and cause decreased spatial cognition in guinea pigs, suggesting that maternal vitamin C deficiency could have severe consequences for the offspring. Furthermore, vitamin C deficiency has been proposed to play a role in age-related cognitive decline and in stroke risk and severity. The present review discusses the available literature on effects of vitamin C deficiency on the developing and aging brain with particular focus on in vivo experimentation and clinical studies.