| ISSN |
2220-315x (online) |
| Open Access |
This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
| Copyright |
© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved. |
| Article Reprints |
For details, please visit: http://www.wjgnet.com/bpg/gerinfo/247
|
| Permissions |
For details, please visit: http://www.wjgnet.com/bpg/gerinfo/207
|
| Publisher |
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA |
| Website |
http://www.wjgnet.com |
| Category |
Medicine, General & Internal |
| Manuscript Type |
Minireviews |
| Article Title |
Neurobiological mechanisms linking vitamin d signaling to cognitive decline and neurodegeneration: Untangling epidemiology, pathophysiology, and evidence
|
| Manuscript Source |
Invited Manuscript |
| All Author List |
Neha Choudhary, Maheen Zahid, Muhammad Ahmad, Muneeba Shaukat, Muhammad Tariq, Soura Rajeshwara, Shermeen Usman, Taimoor Wajid and Ayoola Awosika |
| ORCID |
|
| Funding Agency and Grant Number |
|
| Corresponding Author |
Ayoola Awosika, MD, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria, 1 Illini drive, Bloomington, IL 61601, United States. ayoolaawosika@yahoo.com |
| Key Words |
Dementia; Vitamin D; Alzheimer’s disease; Cognitive decline; Neurodegeneration |
| Core Tip |
Vitamin D deficiency has been consistently linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia, with mechanistic studies providing biologically plausible pathways through its effects on amyloid and tau regulation, neuroinflammation, cerebrovascular health, and mitochondrial function. These converging data make vitamin D an attractive target for dementia prevention. However, the causality remains unproven. Randomized controlled trials have produced largely inconclusive findings, often limited by small sample sizes, short follow-up periods, or cognitive outcomes assessed only as secondary endpoints. As a result, the current evidence does not justify routine vitamin D supplementation as a therapeutic strategy for dementia prevention or management. However, if a causal role is ultimately confirmed, the public health implications would be substantial, given both the global prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and the rising incidence of dementia. |
| Publish Date |
2026-03-15 06:17 |
| Citation |
Choudhary N, Zahid M, Ahmad M, Shaukat M, Tariq M, Rajeshwara S, Usman S, Wajid T, Awosika A. Neurobiological mechanisms linking vitamin d signaling to cognitive decline and neurodegeneration: Untangling epidemiology, pathophysiology, and evidence. World J Exp Med 2026; 16(1): 118761 |
| URL |
https://www.wjgnet.com/2220-315x/full/v16/i1/118761.htm |
| DOI |
https://dx.doi.org/10.5493/wjem.v16.i1.118761 |
