Methylation and Schizophrenia: The Role of B Vitamins
About Kelly Brogan
KELLY BROGAN, MD, is a holistic psychiatrist, author of the New York Times Bestselling book, A Mind of Your Own, Own Your Self, the children’s book, A Time For Rain, and co-editor of the landmark textbook Integrative Therapies for Depression.
Schizophrenia is typically characterized by negative symptoms including apathy and impaired executive function while positive symptoms refer to delusions and hallucinations. Appreciating the role of B vitamins, and particularly folate, the metabolism of which is dictated by genetic variants such as MTHFR, the potential for meaningful intervention grows.
- 140 subjects were randomized to receive 400ug of B12 plus 2mg of folic acid vs placebo.
- Improvement in negative symptoms was greater in the treatment group but correlated specifically to genetic variants related to folate metabolism.
- This study may be an example of nutrigenomics or implementing therapeutic use of nutrients related to personalized need.
Read the methylation and schizophrenia study here.