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Folic Acid May Help Heal Spinal Cord and Brain Injuries
Information provided by Journal of Clinical Investigation - Published: 2010-04-26
Understanding how folic acid might help heal brain and spinal cord injuries.
Babies born to women who do not consume enough folic acid (sometimes referred to as folate or vitamin B9) are at high risk of developing neural tube defects (i.e., defects in the development of the spinal cord or brain).
This is the reason underlying the recommendation that women who are pregnant take a folic acid supplement.
A team of researchers, led by Bermans Iskandar, at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, has now generated data in rodents suggesting that folic acid might also help promote healing in injured brain and spinal cord. Specifically, the team was able to uncover a molecular pathway by which folate can promote nerve cell regeneration following injury in rodents.
In an accompanying commentary, Matthias Endres and Golo Kronenberg, at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany, discuss how these data, together with the safety and simplicity of folate supplementation, provide a rationale for testing whether folate supplementation is beneficial for patients with spinal cord and brain trauma.
TITLE: Folate regulation of axonal regeneration in the rodent central nervous system through DNA methylation
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Bermans J. Iskandar
University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Phone: 608.263.9651; Fax: 608.263.1728; E-mail: iskandar@neurosurg.wisc.edu.
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/40000?key=7699cee3397c28e321ac
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: Neuronal injury: folate to the rescue?
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Matthias Endres
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Phone: 49.30.450.560.102; Fax: 49.30.450.560.932; E-mail: matthias.endres@charite.de.
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/40764?key=TpndN64MezO2HHZ2NCmW
Importance of Folic Acid Video - A new film entitled ‘I am a...’ has been released by the national charity Shine as part of their campaign Go Folic! which aims to communicate the message that taking folic acid is essential in preventing birth defects such as Spina Bifida.
- This web page is from the Disabled World Spinal Cord Injury - SCI section which provides: Information and types of spinal cord injuries including complete and incomplete SCI treatment options.
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- Vitamin B and Folic Acid May Reduce Age Related Vision Loss - Taking a combination of vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid appears to decrease the risk of age-related macular degeneration.
- Folic Acid - Also known as folate or folacin when it naturally occurs in foods, is a B vitamin that is essential for the healthy development of a baby’s spine, brain and skull during the early weeks of pregnancy. All people need folic acid. But folic acid is very important for women who are able to get pregnant. Folic acid is found naturally in some foods, including leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, beans (legumes), and whole grains. Enriched breads, cereals and other grain products also contain folic acid. If you don't get enough folic acid from the foods you eat, you can also take it as a dietary supplement.
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