title: Folate nutrition and blood-brain barrier dysfunction.
abstract: Mammals require essential nutrients from dietary sources to support normal metabolic, physiological and neuronal functions, to prevent diseases of nutritional deficiency as well as to prevent chronic disease. Disease and/or its treatment can modify fundamental biological processes including cellular nutrient accretion, stability and function in cells. These effects can be isolated to a specific diseased organ in the absence of whole-body alterations in nutrient status or biochemistry. Loss of blood-brain barrier function, which occurs in in-born errors of metabolism and in chronic disease, can cause brain-specific folate deficiency and contribute to disease co-morbidity. The role of brain folate deficiency in neuropsychiatric disorders is reviewed, as well as emerging diagnostic and nutritional strategies to identify and address brain folate deficiency in blood-brain barrier dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Cornell University, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States. Electronic address: pjs13@cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Stover
authors.affiliation: Nestlé Health Science-Pamlab, Inc., Covington, LA 70433, United States.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Durga
authors.affiliation: Cornell University, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States.
authors.forename: Martha S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Field
mesh_terms: D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D004032:Diet; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D005492:Folic Acid