Some of the receptors in your brain are receptors for vitamin D, which means that vitamin D is acting in some way in your brain and influencing the way you think, learn, and act.2 Scientists have found that in people with AD, there are fewer vitamin D receptors in a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is involved in forming memories.3
Your brain relies on vitamin D receptors for protection against the things that can damage it, including the development of the plaques and tangles that form in AD.4 How getting enough vitamin D affects a brain with dementia is still being studied, but scientists do know that vitamin D receptors work in many ways to protect your brain. However, these researchers are still exploring whether taking vitamin D supplements can help prevent memory loss and dementia.5