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Feeding, Stress, Exercise and the Supply of Amino Acids to the Brain

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Amino Acid Availability and Brain Function in Health and Disease

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASIH,volume 20))

Abstract

This chapter concerns some effects of food deprivation, feeding and stress on brain amino acids. In particular, it concerns amino acids which are precursors of transmitter amines. In the past, most attention has been paid to two of these, tyrosine and tryptophan, which through the action of tyrosine hydroxylase and tryptophan hydroxylase respectively are converted to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (dopa) and 5-hydroxytryptophan by reactions which are rate-limiting for catecholamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) synthesis. Various classical precursor loading experiments suggest that brain tyrosine hydroxylase is close to saturation with its substrate and is therefore relatively insensitive to altered substrate availability but that tryptophan hydroxylase is about 50% saturated (1, 2) and therefore more sensitive. Less attention has been paid to the fact that histidine decarboxylase is normally far below saturation with its precursor amino acid (3) and thus the synthesis of histamine is far more responsive to changes of precursor availability than are the syntheses of 5-HT or the catecholamines.

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  1. Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WCIN 3BG, UK

    G. Curzon

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  1. Max-Planck-Institut für experimentelle Medizin, Hermann-Rein-Str. 3, 3400, Göttingen, Germany

    Gerald Huether

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Curzon, G. (1988). Feeding, Stress, Exercise and the Supply of Amino Acids to the Brain. In: Huether, G. (eds) Amino Acid Availability and Brain Function in Health and Disease. NATO ASI Series, vol 20. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73175-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73175-4_5

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