title: The value of physiologic vitamin D as a biomarker of dementia.
abstract: Vitamin D has been investigated in association with cognitive function in healthy and multimorbid elderly patients. Whether higher physiologic concentrations of vitamin D may be neuroprotective is not yet known. Epidemiological investigations have suggested a protective effect of physiologic vitamin D concentrations (circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D) on neurocognitive dysfunction and cerebrovascular disease. Recent prospective studies have shown a beneficial association of vitamin D with a myriad of health conditions and suggest that vitamin D may be neuroprotective via vascular mechanisms. Whether vitamin D concentrations are a useful indicator for the identification and clinical management of dementia remains to be determined. On its own, physiological vitamin D status may be an important risk indicator for several comorbidities; however, further studies are required to determine if physiological vitamin D can be used as a biomarker in the clinical determination and disease management of dementia.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Clinical Research Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. kl.tucker@neu.edu
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Buell
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Tucker
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003071:Cognition; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D