Vitamin B 1, B 2 and B 6 deficiency in neurological disorders

Abstract

The activities of the red blood cell enzymes transketolase, glutathione reductase, and glutamic oxaloacetate transaminase were measured with and without in vitro addition of their respective coenzyme components thiamine, riboflavin, and pyridoxine in a group of patients with neurological disorders which may have been caused by malnutrition, intestinal malabsorption, hepatic failure or neoplasms arising outside the nervous system. The incidence of thiamine deficiency was 31%, of riboflavin deficiency 22% and of pyridoxine deficiency 6%. Alcoholics in particular suffered from deficiencies of vitamin B 1, and B 2. There was a correlation of vitamin B 1 and B 2 deficiency and signs of a cerebellar and/or brainstem lesion. The most frequent symptoms in this connection were gait disturbances and oculomotor signs like spontaneous and gaze nystagmus, disturbed eye tracking, diminished optokinetic nystagmus, decreased ability to suppress vestibular nystagmus by fixation. These signs hardly ever occurred in alcoholic patients who showed no deficiency of vitamin B 1, B 2 or B 6. Whenever they do appear, a vitamin B supplementation has to be performed in order to prevent the manifestation of Wernicke's encephalopathy, cerebral or cerebellar atrophy. Alcoholics showed the same incidence of polyneuropathy, whether they suffered from a deficiency of B vitamins or not. Deficiencies of vitamin B 1, B 2 or B 6 were also found in patients with intestinal malabsorption and polyneuropathy, diabetic polyneuropathy, optic atrophy, myelopathy and cerebellar ataxia of unknown etiology, neurological manifestations of neoplasms arising outside the nervous system, B 12 myeloencephalopathy and Thévenard's syndrome.

Alcohol-related peripheral neuropathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Alcohol-related peripheral neuropathy has a slow, progressive onset over months to years [3, 4, 51, 52], almost always affects the lower limbs more than the upper limbs and begins distally [2–4, 14, 19, 20, 26, 27, 30, 35, 37–41, 47, 51, 53–59]. Generally, patients present with primarily sensory features, including paraesthesia, numbness and impaired vibration sensation [2, 3, 6, 14, 15, 19, 20, 26, 27, 30, 32, 33, 35, 37–41, 51, 53–56, 60, 61]. Reduced proprioception has been reported in a smaller number of cases [39, 40].…”

Gut microbes and metabolites as modulators of blood-brain barrier integrity and brain health

“…86 Vitamin B synthesis increases as the intestinal microbiota are being established 87 with deficiencies leading to serious neurological disorders including beri-beri, polyneuropathy and cerebellar ataxia. 88 Vitamin B9 has a preventive role in the development of neural tube defects, coronary heart disease, cancer, and neuropsychiatric disorders. 89 Folate deficiency has been associated with depression, with methylfolate being one of the only medical foods licensed for treating depression.…”

A general method for selection of riboflavin-overproducing food grade micro-organisms

“…Riboflavin is the precursor of the enzyme cofactors FMN and FAD, which are vital in many of the body's enzymatic functions for the transfer of electrons in oxidation-reduction reactions. Riboflavin deficiency is most commonly seen in developing countries [ 12 ], among the elderly [ 13 ], and in chronic alcoholics [ 14 ]. Clinical symptoms of riboflavin deficiency are rarely seen in developed countries but the subclinical stage of deficiency, characterised by a change in biochemical indices, is seen in a significant portion of the population of these nations as exemplified by Ireland [ 15 ].…”