Neuropsychiatric disorders and antioxidant vitamins E and C supplementation

Abstract

The pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders is incompletely understood, which may partly account for the persisting dominance of the syndrome nosology in neuropsychiatry, despite its widely recognized inadequacies. Oxidative stress mechanism have been implicated in the pathogenesis has theoretical appeal, as the brain is considered particularly vulnerable to the damage. The oxidative vulnerability of the brain, suggests that oxidative damage may be a plausible pathogenic candidate. Antioxidants have attracted the attention of clinicians due to therapeutic potential. The author presents an overview of the current literature on antioxidants supplementation approach, particularly vitamin E and C and current evidences in the field of neuropsychiatric disorders. Vitamin E and vitamin C are well known antioxidants that are postulated to protect against damage to biological membranes by their ability to scavenge free radicals. Results of vitamin combinations are found promising and further studies on this combination therapy are suggested.