ArticlePloS one2016
Decreased Brain Levels of Vitamin B12 in Aging, Autism and Schizophrenia.
Article in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 71 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
71 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 161 citations in OpenAlex.
- Show Me What You Have Inside-The Complex Interplay between SIBO and Multiple Medical Conditions-A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2022Pooled it
- Supplement intervention associated with nutritional deficiencies in autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review.European journal of nutrition · 2018Pooled it
- The Immune System and the Plural Autisms: A Narrative Review.Journal of personalized medicine · 2026Review
- Serum and cerebral folate are normal in Down Syndrome Regression Disorder.Molecular autism · 2026Observational
- Enhanced therapeutic potential of paeoniflorin and vitamin B12 in intracerebropeduncle ethidium bromide-induced multiple sclerosis-like pathology.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- The Interplay of Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, and Neuroinflammation in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Behavioral Implications and Therapeutic Strategies.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Hyperhomocysteinemia-Driven Ischemic Stroke: Unraveling Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Horizons.Food science & nutrition · 2025Review
- Oxidative stress response and NRF2 signaling pathway in autism spectrum disorder.Redox biology · 2025Review
- From Nutrient to Nanocarrier: The Multifaceted Role of Vitamin B12 in Drug Delivery.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Prevalence, associated factors, and impact of vitamin B12 deficiency in older medical inpatients.European geriatric medicine · 2025Article
- Brain-gut-brain axis, nutrition, and autism spectrum disorders: a review.Translational pediatrics · 2024Review
- Prenatal Nutritional Factors and Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Narrative Review.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Micronutrient-Associated Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Mental Health: A Mendelian Randomization Study.Nutrients · 2024Article
- Emerging Roles of Vitamin BInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Vitamin B12 status and folic acid supplementation influence mitochondrial heteroplasmy levels in mice.PNAS nexus · 2024Article
- Review
- Vitamin BAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- Incidence of Otolaryngological Manifestations in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Special Focus on Auditory Disorders.Audiology research · 2024Review
- Biomarkers for Psychosis: Are We There Yet? Umbrella Review of 1478 Biomarkers.Schizophrenia bulletin open · 2024Article
- Case report: Rare variants in theFrontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
11 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Many studies indicate a crucial role for the vitamin B12 and folate-dependent enzyme methionine synthase (MS) in brain development and function, but vitamin B12 status in the brain across the lifespan has not been previously investigated. Vitamin B12 (cobalamin, Cbl) exists in multiple forms, including methylcobalamin (MeCbl) and adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl), serving as cofactors for MS and methylmalonylCoA mutase, respectively. We measured levels of five Cbl species in postmortem human frontal cortex of 43 control subjects, from 19 weeks of fetal development through 80 years of age, and 12 autistic and 9 schizophrenic subjects. Total Cbl was significantly lower in older control subjects (> 60 yrs of age), primarily reflecting a >10-fold age-dependent decline in the level of MeCbl. Levels of inactive cyanocobalamin (CNCbl) were remarkably higher in fetal brain samples. In both autistic and schizophrenic subjects MeCbl and AdoCbl levels were more than 3-fold lower than age-matched controls. In autistic subjects lower MeCbl was associated with decreased MS activity and elevated levels of its substrate homocysteine (HCY). Low levels of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) have been linked to both autism and schizophrenia, and both total Cbl and MeCbl levels were decreased in glutamate-cysteine ligase modulatory subunit knockout (GCLM-KO) mice, which exhibit low GSH levels. Thus our findings reveal a previously unrecognized decrease in brain vitamin B12 status across the lifespan that may reflect an adaptation to increasing antioxidant demand, while accelerated deficits due to GSH deficiency may contribute to neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.