Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter that regulates neuronal excitation in mammals by blocking impulses from one nerve to another. GABAergic drugs are used to treat anxiety, seizure disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, and epilepsy. Lack of GABA absorption can lead to spastic diplegia. GABA also increases human growth hormone levels.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid is a neurotransmitter found in all mammals. It is also known as GABA or Aminobutyric Acid, using the Greek symbol for gamma. This substance is the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in mammals and is used throughout the central nervous system (CNS). GABA’s main function is to regulate neuronal excitation in the body. It does this by blocking impulses from one nerve to another, which, in turn, prevents the nerves from overfiring.
Chemically, gamma-aminobutyric acid is an amino acid, but that designation is rarely applied to it. This is because the term “amino acid” generally refers to any of the alpha amino acids, which are the essential building blocks of protein in the body. GABA has no function in building proteins and is therefore generally referred to simply as an acid or neurotransmitter.
First synthesized in 1883, this acid was thought to only exist in plants and microbes. It was not until 1950 that gamma-aminobutyric acid was discovered to be an essential component of the CNS of all mammals. In these life forms, glutamate is used to synthesize GABA, through the use of the enzyme L-glutamic acid decarboxylase with an active vitamin B6 cofactor. The process creates gamma-aminobutyric acid, the body’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, by disrupting glutamate, the body’s primary excitatory neurotransmitter.
Mammalian muscle tone is regulated by GABA levels. Lack of GABA absorption in the legs, hips, and pelvis can lead to a condition known as spastic diplegia, or Little’s disease. Without the absorption inhibitory properties of gamma-aminobutyric acid, the muscles in the lower body become permanently hypertonic or rigid, as the nerves continually relay the message to contract. The level of stress varies between individuals, with some being able to walk with minimal problems and others requiring crutches or a cane to get around.
GABAergic drugs are commonly used to treat anxiety or seizure disorders. These work by encouraging GABA receptors in the brain to release more neurotransmitters, or by causing an increase in the production of gamma-aminobutyric acid. The drugs have also been used to treat depression, bipolar disorder, and epilepsy. Both too low and too much GABA in the system can cause anxiety.
Oral use of this acid has been shown to increase the amount of human growth hormone (HGH) in the body. GABAergic drugs generally do not cross the blood-brain barrier unless they are injected directly into the brain. In that case, the drug’s effects on HGH can be either uplifting or depressing, depending on the individual’s physiology.
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