Thalamic calcification in vitamin D receptor knockout mice.

Vitamin D is a steroid hormone with many important functions in the brain, mediated through the nuclear vitamin D receptor. Here, we report that aging nuclear vitamin D receptor knockout mice demonstrate a symmetric thalamic calcification with numerous Ca/P-containing laminated bodies. These results are consistent with clinical findings showing brain calcification in patients with vitamin D deficiency. Our results suggest that nuclear vitamin D receptor deficiency leads to brain mineralization in vitamin D receptor knockout mice, which may represent an experimental model of intracranial calcification.