Journal of Psychiatry

Neuroprotective potential of vitamin D in ALS

Annual World Congress on Psychiatry

February 16-17, 2023 | Webinar

Sumit Kumar

ISF College of Pharmacy, India

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Psychiatry

Abstract:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive muscle paralysis determined by the degeneration of motor neurons in the motor cortex brainstem and spinal cord. ALS is the most common motor neuron disease. Its mean incidence rate is 2.8/100,000 in Europe and 1.8/100,000 in North America. Its prevalence is 5.4/100,000 in Europe and 3.4/100,000 in North America . The degeneration of upper motor neurons, which conduct impulses from the cortex and brainstem to lower motor neurons through corticospinal and corticobulbar tracts in the healthy brain, in ALS leads to spasticity, overall clumsiness, markedly vivid reflexes and pyramidal signs. The degeneration of the lower motor neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and nerve roots, which conduct impulses to innervated muscle fibres, leads to muscle weakness, atrophy, spasm and fasciculations. Patients usually present with a combination of symptoms due to the impairment of both types of motor neurons. Atypical forms of the disease occur when impairment of either the upper or lower motor neurons is highly predominant. Moreover, metabolic disorders, typically hypermetabolism associated with weight loss and hyperlipidaemia, are often associated with ALS, indicating the probable involvement of the hypothalamus in the development and progression of ALS. High-dose vitamin D3 supplementation improves paw grip endurance and motor performance in the G93A mouse model of ALS. In contrast, D3 restriction hastens the decline in paw grip endurance and motor performance postdisease onset in the same mouse model. Indeed, a very recent ALS clinical study concluded that D3 supplementation reduced the decline in the revised amyotrophic lateral sclerosis functional rating scale (ALSFRS-R) score versus non-supplemented patients. These findings are supported by a retrospective study, which also found that patients with vitamin D deficiency (serum calcidiol > 25 nM) had a 6 fold higher rate of death compared to patients with high vitamin D status (serum calcidiol > 75 nM). In sum, there is substantial support for vitamin D as a potential therapeutic in ALS. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron demyelinating disorder that causes spinal nerve degeneration. It is a subset of disease which primarily affects the brain stem, motor cortex, spinal cord, and corticospinal tract. The increase in the number of patients with ALS has led to increasing demand for effective therapy and a particular diagnosis, which can help this motor neuron dysfunction. Currently, there are several diagnostic tests available to diagnose ALS, including blood and urine tests that are laboratory tests which analyse blood and urine samples that include spinal tap lumbar puncture, electromyogram, nerve conduction study, MRI etc. The major limitations of all these diagnostic tests are quite laborious, intrusive, and costly. As a result, people avoid or delay getting diagnosed, causing their symptoms to worsen. Furthermore, no single test can provide a definitive diagnosis of ALS, which might lead to the disorders progression and worsening. This could be a prominent of mortality rate. This research will serve as a foundation for future research on these signaling cascades in other neurological disorders such as MS, OCD, and Bipolar Disorder. Using the target modulators outlined in this review to influence these signaling cascades could be a potential therapy for various neurological disorders, including MS, OCD, and Bipolar Disorder.

Biography :

Mr. Sumit Kumar has completed his bachelor in pharmacy at the age of 21 years from ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga, INDIA. Currently, he is a budding research scholar pursuing his Masters in Pharmacology at the age of 23 years from INDIA. He presented posters in international conferences. His area of interest is translational neuroscience and at present he is working on motor degenerative disorder- ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). He is investigating the neuroprotecting potential of various phytoconstituents in various brain disorders simultaneously and published more than 6 articles and 5 book Chapters in a span of 6 months.