The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between vitamin D levels and cognition, both executive and nonexecutive functions, in men incarcerated in a Norwegian prison. Participants were divided into high vitamin D and low vitamin D groups based on established criteria (high level ≥ 50 nmol/L; low level < 50 nmol/L). The mean vitamin D concentration was 69 (SD = 12) and 38 (SD = 9) nmol/L in the high-level group (n = 14) and the low level group (n = 11), respectively. Results revealed that the high vitamin D group had significantly more correct responses than the low vitamin D group on the executive function task. There was no difference between the groups on the nonexecutive function task. The reaction time data indicated that the high levels of correct responses in the high vitamin D group on the executive function tasks were not due to a speed-accuracy trade-off.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
CarlsonS.MartinkauppiS.RämäP.SalliE.KorvenojaA.AronenH. J. (1998) Distribution of cortical activation during visuospatial n-back tasks as revealed by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Cerebral Cortex, 8, 743–752.
2.
CashmanK. D.HillT. R.LuceyA. J.TaylorN.SeamansK. M.MuldownyS.FitzgeraldA. P.FlynnA.BarnesM. S.HoriganG.BonhamM. P.DuffyE. M.StrainJ. J.WallaceJ. M. W.KielyM. (2008) Estimation of the dietary requirement for vitamin D in healthy adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 88, 1535–1542.
3.
CohenJ. A. (1992) A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155–159.
4.
CowanN. (1988) Evolving conceptions of memory storage, selective attention, and their mutual constraints within the human information processing system. Psychological Bulletin, 104, 163–191.
5.
CowanN. (1995) Attention and memory: An integrated framework. Oxford, UK: Oxford Univer. Press.
6.
DumvilleJ. C.MilesJ. N. V.PorthouseJ.CockayneS.SaxonL.KingC. (2006) Can vitamin D supplementation prevent winter-time blues? A randomized trial among older adults. Journal of Nutrition, Health, & Aging, 10, 151–153.
GeschC. B.HammondS. M.HampsonS. E.EvesA.CrowderM. J. (2002) Influence of supplementary vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids on the antisocial behaviour of young adult prisoners. British Journal of Psychiatry, 181, 22–28.
9.
HibbelnJ. R.FergusonT. A.BlasbalgT. L. (2006) Omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies in neurodevelopment, aggression, and autonomic dysregulation: Opportunities for intervention. International Review of Psychiatry, 18, 107–118.
10.
HolickM. F. (2007) Vitamin D deficiency. New England Journal of Medicine, 357, 266–281.
11.
KalueffA. V.TuohimaaP. (2007) Neurosteroid hormone vitamin D and its utility in clinical nutrition. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 10, 12–19.
12.
KaneM. J.EngleR. W. (2002) The role of prefrontal cortex in working-memory capacity, executive attention, and general fluid intelligence: An individual-differences perspective. Psychonomic Bulletin Review, 9, 637–671.
13.
LuriaA. R. (1980) Higher cortical functions in man. New York: Basic Books.
14.
McCannJ. C.AmesB. N. (2008) Is there convincing biological or behavioural evidence linking vitamin D deficiency to brain dysfunction?FASEB Journal, 22, 982–1001.
15.
MorganA. B.LilienfeldS. O. (2000) A meta-analytic review of the relation between antisocial behavior and neuropsychological measures of executive function. Clinical Psychology Review, 20, 113–136.
16.
PosnerM. I.RaichleM. I. (1999) Images of mind. New York: Scientific American Library.
17.
PrzybelskiR. J.BinkleyN. C. (2007) Is vitamin D important for preserving cognition? A positive correlation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration with cognitive function. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 460, 202–205.
18.
SchoofsD.PreußD.WolfO. T. (2008) Psychosocial stress induces working memory impairments in an n-back paradigm. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 33, 643–653.
19.
ShimamuraA. P. (2000) The role of the prefrontal cortex in dynamic filtering. Psychophysiology, 28, 207–218.
20.
StumpfW. E.PrivetteT. H. (1989) Light, vitamin D, and psychiatry: Role of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (soltriol) in etiology and therapy of seasonal affective disorder and other mental processes. Psychopharmacology, 97, 285–294.
21.
ThayerJ. F.BrosschotJ. F. (2005) Psychosomatics and psychopathology: Looking up and down from the brain. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 30, 1050–1058.
22.
ThayerJ. F.HansenA. L.Saus-RoseE.JohnsenB. H. (2009) Heart rate variability, prefrontal neural function, and cognitive performance: The neurovisceral integration perspective on self-regulation, adaptation, and health. Annals of Behavioural Medicine, 37, 141–153.
23.
ThayerJ. F.LaneR. D. (2000) A model of neurovisceral integration in emotion-regulation and dysregulation. Journal of Affective Disorders, 61, 201–216.
24.
The Norwegian Council of Nutrition. (2006) [Initiative to ensure adequate vitamin D status in the population]. IS-1408. Oslo, Norway: Author, [in Norwegian]
25.
TiihonenJ. (1993) Criminality associated with mental disorders and intellectual deficiency. Archives of General Psychiatry, 35, 595–599.
26.
WilkinsC. H.ShelineY. I.RoeC. M.BirgeS. J.MorrisJ. C. (2006) Vitamin D deficiency is associated with low mood and worse cognitive performance in older adults. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14, 1032–1040.
