Stan, interesting (m)b12 abstracts

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1: J Neurol Sci. 2005 Jun 15;233(1-2):93-7.

Vitamin B12, demyelination, remyelination and repair in multiple sclerosis.

A, Korem M, Almog R, Galboiz Y.

Division of Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis Center, Carmel Medical

Center, Haifa 34362, Israel. millera@...

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and vitamin B12 deficiency share common inflammatory and

neurodegenerative pathophysiological characteristics. Due to similarities in the

clinical presentations and MRI findings, the differential diagnosis between

vitamin B12 deficiency and MS may be difficult. Additionally, low or decreased

levels of vitamin B12 have been demonstrated in MS patients. Moreover, recent

studies suggest that vitamin B12, in addition to its known role as a co-factor

in myelin formation, has important immunomodulatory and neurotrophic effects.

These observations raise the questions of possible causal relationship between

the two disorders, and suggest further studies of the need to close monitoring

of vitamin B12 levels as well as the potential requirement for supplementation

of vitamin B12 alone or in combination with the immunotherapies for MS patients.

Publication Types:

Review

PMID: 15896807 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

2: Neuropediatrics. 2003 Jun;34(5):261-4.

Infantile cobalamin deficiency with cerebral lactate accumulation and sustained

choline depletion.

Horstmann M, Neumaier-Probst E, Lukacs Z, Steinfeld R, Ullrich K, Kohlschutter

A.

Children's Hospital, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, istrasse 52,

20246 Hamburg, Germany. horstman@...

A remarkable, intermittent sudden-onset vigilance and movement disorder in an

exclusively breast-fed infant is reported, which was caused by cobalamin

depletion due to maternal vitamin B12 malabsorption. The lack of cobalamin

caused a severe encephalopathy in the infant, whose brain displayed a striking

loss of volume and a delay of myelination. Proton magnetic resonance

spectroscopy revealed an accumulation of lactate in the gray and white matter of

the brain and a sustained depletion of choline-containing compounds in the white

matter, reflecting a reversible disturbance of oxidative energy metabolism in

brain cells and a long-lasting hypomyelination disorder. The clinical picture in

conjunction with MRI and spectroscopic data of this case study yields more

insight into the functions of cobalamin in the cerebral metabolism.

Publication Types:

Case Reports

PMID: 14598232 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]