The role of vitamin c in the eyes and brain

Scientists at the Oregon University of Health & Science have found that it is necessary to provide the necessary amount of vitamin C to maintain the normal functioning of the brain and retinal nerve cells. The results of the study are published online in the journal Neuroscience , June 29, 2011, which is the official journal of the American Society for Neuroscience.

" We found that retinal neurons need to be provided with relatively high doses of vitamin C, both internal and external, to maintain normal eye activity, " said Dr. Henrique von Gersdorff, Leading scientist at the Vollum Institute, OHSU University, USA, and co-author of the study. " Because the retina is part of the central nervous system, this shows that vitamin C plays an important role throughout the activity of the human brain, something we didn't recognize before ."

Need to provide enough Vitamin C for your eyes to be healthy and beautiful

The brain has special receptors, called GABA receptors, that help regulate rapid communication between cells in the brain. GABA receptors in the brain act as a " brake " that inhibits neurons from stimuli in the brain. The researchers found that GABA receptors in retinal cells no longer function well in the absence of vitamin C.

Because retinal cells are a very accessible type of neuron, GABA receptors in other parts of the brain also require the supply of vitamin C needed for their normal functioning, according to Von Gersdorff. And because vitamin C is an antioxidant in nature, it may actually be the sanctuary of receptors and cells before the incident, Von Gersdorff said.

Although the function of vitamin C in the brain is not well understood, in fact, when the human body is deficient in vitamin C, vitamin C in the brain will disappear eventually. " Perhaps our bodies want to save the final amount of vitamin C for the brain ," according to Von Gersdorff. This finding could provide an answer to why in scurvy patients, the consequences of severe vitamin C deficiency. One of the common symptoms of scurvy is depression, and the first consequence of a lack of vitamin C in the brain.

This finding may affect the treatment process for other diseases such as glaucoma and epilepsy. The cause of these two diseases is due to functional disorders of nerve cells in the retina and the brain, which are more excitable, in part because GABA receptors are not working properly.

" For example, a diet rich in vitamin C may help protect retinal nerve cells, especially for people at risk of glaucoma ," said Von Gersdorff. " Anyway, these are just theoretical speculations and there needs to be a lot of empirical research to prove. However, the results of this study have provided some important insights and will lead to a series of pseudo-studies. new theory and potential treatment strategies . "

Von Gerdorff's laboratory at the Vollum Institute, OHSU University, USA, is dedicated to scientists and students conducting basic research on neuroscience. The study was done using goldfish retinal cells, which have the same overall biological structure as the human retina.

Retinal research is done by Dr. Evan Vickers, a part of the Von Gersdorff laboratory. Co-authors of this study include: Cecilia Calero in the lab of Dr. Daniel J. Calvo from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Cid Gustavo and Luis Aguayo from Concepcion University, Chile.

The research was funded by the National Council for Scientific Research, the Pew Foundation, the International Brain Research Organization and the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health.