Folate action in nervous system development and disease.

The vitamin folic acid has been recognized as a crucial environmental factor for nervous system development. From the early fetal stages of the formation of the presumptive spinal cord and brain to the maturation and maintenance of the nervous system during infancy and childhood, folate levels and its supplementation have been considered influential in the clinical outcome of infants and children affected by neurological diseases. Despite the vast epidemiological information recorded on folate function and neural tube defects, neural development and neurodegenerative diseases, the mechanisms of folate action in the developing neural tissue have remained elusive. Here we compiled studies that argue for a unique role for folate in nervous system development and function and its consequences to neural disease and repair.