scholarly journals An Evaluation of Interindividual Responses to the Orally Administered Neurotransmitter β-Alanine

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah MacPhee ◽  
Ian N. Weaver ◽  
Donald F. Weaver

Previously, we have identified β-alanine as a potential endogenous anticonvulsant molecule. β-Alanine occurs within the human central nervous system and has been identified as both an inhibitory neuromodulator and neurotransmitter that is bioavailable to brain after oral administration. During preliminary compounding trials to ascertain dosing strategies for β-alanine, we noted pronounced differences in the side effect profile experienced by individuals of Asian and Caucasian descent. To investigate whether ethnicity affects β-alanine-induced side effects, we administered 3 g of β-alanine in 200 mL of fruit drink to ten people of each ethnic background and observed them for 30 minutes. Data collected included basic physical statistics (height, age, and weight) and descriptions of all side effects, as reported by participants. We found that participants of Asian descent experienced paraesthesia, but significantly different in time of onset, intensity, and anatomical localization, as compared to the effects experienced by Caucasian participants. Since β-alanine is an endogenous neurotransmitter substance within human brain, these side effect differences were unexpected.

1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 949-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen C.Y. Yen-Koo ◽  
T. Balazs

Cats were trained to obtain food pellets under a cycle reward condition in 4-6 weeks. These conditioned-behavior cats were then used for testing a group of non-psychotropic drugs, and any modification of the feeding cycle (FC) was considered as a side effect of the drug on conditioned behavior. All drugs were given orally. Of the 16 non-psychotropic drugs studied, only indomethacin caused a loss and irregularity in the FC. Antihistamines, acetylsalicylic acid, phenoxybenzamine and amantadine reduced the number of FC by about 50%. Studies of conditioned behavior in the cat appear to be useful for both the investigation of drug interactions and the detection of side effects of drugs not ordinarily considered to have central nervous system effects.


Author(s):  
Elizabeth Hampson

Organizational and activational effects of sex steroids were first discovered in laboratory animals, but these concepts extend to hormonal actions in the human central nervous system. This chapter begins with a brief overview of how sex steroids act in the brain and how the organizational-activational hypothesis originated in the field of endocrinology. It then reviews common methods used to study these effects in humans. Interestingly, certain cognitive functions appear to be subject to modification by sex steroids, and these endocrine influences may help explain the sex differences often seen in these functions. The chapter considers spatial cognition as a representative example because the spatial family of functions has received the most study by researchers interested in the biological roots of sex differences in cognition. The chapter reviews evidence that supports an influence of both androgens and estrogens on spatial functions, and concludes with a glimpse of where the field is headed.


1986 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnhild Sandberg-Wollheim ◽  
Burton Zweiman ◽  
Arnold I. Levinson ◽  
Robert P. Lisak

2012 ◽  
Vol 101 (7) ◽  
pp. 2048-2050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiko Murata ◽  
Masahiro Kawashima ◽  
Yasuo Terayama

Author(s):  
Mehrak Mahmoudi ◽  
Piroz Zamankhan ◽  
William Polashenski

The nervous system remains one of the least understood biological structures due in large part to the enormous complexity of this organ. A theoretical model for the transfer of nerve impulses would be valuable for the analysis of various phenomena in the nervous system, which are difficult to study by experiments. The central nervous system is composed of more than 100 billion neurons, through which information is transmitted via nerve impulses. Nerve impulses are not immediately apparent since each impulse may be blocked during transmission, changed from a single impulse into repetitive impulse, or integrated with impulses from other neurons to form highly intricate patterns. In the human central nervous system, a neuron secretes a chemical substance called a neurotransmitter at the synapse, and this transmitter in turn acts on another neuron to cause excitation, inhibition, or some other modification of its sensitivity.


1927 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 1183-1183

The adverse side effects of salvarsan injections include bleeding from the nose, gums, kidney, lung, etc. The reason for this is the permeability of the capillary walls to red blood cells due to irritation of the central nervous system in persons who are too sensitive to salvarsan. They are caused by the permeability of the capillary walls to red blood cells, caused by irritation of the central nervous system in persons over-sensitive to salvarsan.


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