NEUTRAL AMINO ACIDS IN THE BRAIN: CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO FOOD INGESTION1

doi:10.1111/j.1471-4159.1978.tb10489.x

If you are seeing this message, you may be experiencing temporary network problems. Please wait a few minutes and refresh the page. If the problem persists, you may wish to report it to your local Network Manager.

It is also possible that your web browser is not configured or not able to display style sheets. In this case, although the visual presentation will be degraded, the site should continue to be functional. We recommend using the latest version of Microsoft or Mozilla web browser to help minimise these problems.

Wiley InterScience

Journal of Neurochemistry

Volume 30 Issue 6, Pages 1531 - 1538

Published Online: 5 Oct 2006

Published for the International Society for Neurochemistry

Go to Society Site

< Previous Abstract | Next Abstract >

Save Article to My Profile Download Citation Request Permissions

Abstract | References | Full Text: PDF (Size: 714K) | Related Articles | Citation Tracking

NEUTRAL AMINO ACIDS IN THE BRAIN: CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO FOOD INGESTION¹

John D. Fernstrom ¹ Douglas V. Faller ¹

¹ Laboratory of Brain and Metabolism, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A.

¹ These studies were supported in part by grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

ABSTRACT

Abstract—The brain levels of each of the aromatic and branched-chain amino acids change 2 h after fasting rats begin to consume either a carbohydrate-fat diet or a similar diet containing 18% or 40% protein. Carbohydrate-fat ingestion elevates the concentrations of each of the aromatic amino acids in brain, while substantially depressing those of the branched-chain amino acids. The inclusion of protein in this diet suppresses the increases in brain aromatic amino acids and attenuates the decreases in the branched-chain amino acids. The changes in the brain level of each neutral amino acid following the ingestion of any of these diets correlate extremely well with the effects of the diet on the serum neutral amino acid pattern, specifically on the serum concentration ratio of each neutral amino acid to the sum of the other neutral amino acids. The diet-induced changes in the brain level of each of the amino acids also correlate surprisingly well with the calculated rate of brain influx for each amino acid.

Received 22 August 1977. Accepted 24 October 1977

DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER (DOI)

10.1111/j.1471-4159.1978.tb10489.x About DOI