Effect of asparagine, glutamine and insulin on cerebral amino acid neurotransmitters

Treatment of rats with asparagine or glutamine caused substantial increases in glutamine concentrations in cerebellum and medulla oblongata. Insulin treatment caused a diminution of glutamate and GABA in these regions of brain. Since it is now well-established that glutamine is a very efficient prec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCanadian journal of neurological sciences Vol. 7; no. 4; p. 447
Main Authors Butterworth, R F, Landreville, F, Hamel, E, Merkel, A, Giguere, F, Barbeau, A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 01.11.1980
Subjects
Animals
Asparagine - pharmacology
Asparagine - therapeutic use
Aspartic Acid - analysis
Brain Chemistry - drug effects
Cerebellum - analysis
Friedreich Ataxia - drug therapy
gamma-Aminobutyric Acid - analysis
Glutamates - analysis
Glutamine - pharmacology
Glutamine - therapeutic use
Insulin - pharmacology
Male
Medulla Oblongata - analysis
Neurotransmitter Agents - analysis
Rats
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Summary:Treatment of rats with asparagine or glutamine caused substantial increases in glutamine concentrations in cerebellum and medulla oblongata. Insulin treatment caused a diminution of glutamate and GABA in these regions of brain. Since it is now well-established that glutamine is a very efficient precursor of the neurotransmitter pool of glutamate in mammalian brain, treatment with asparagine or glutamine could be of therapeutic (replacement) value in the treatment of neurological disorders such as Friedreich's ataxia, in which cerebral glutamate concentrations have been found to be diminished.
ISSN:0317-1671
DOI:10.1017/S0317167100023040