scholarly journals Herbal Remedies and Their Possible Effect on the GABAergic System and Sleep

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 530
Author(s):  
Oliviero Bruni ◽  
Luigi Ferini-Strambi ◽  
Elena Giacomoni ◽  
Paolo Pellegrino
Keyword(s):  
Gaba Receptors ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Inhibitory Neurotransmitter ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Molecular Components ◽  
The Brain

Sleep is an essential component of physical and emotional well-being, and lack, or disruption, of sleep due to insomnia is a highly prevalent problem. The interest in complementary and alternative medicines for treating or preventing insomnia has increased recently. Centuries-old herbal treatments, popular for their safety and effectiveness, include valerian, passionflower, lemon balm, lavender, and Californian poppy. These herbal medicines have been shown to reduce sleep latency and increase subjective and objective measures of sleep quality. Research into their molecular components revealed that their sedative and sleep-promoting properties rely on interactions with various neurotransmitter systems in the brain. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that plays a major role in controlling different vigilance states. GABA receptors are the targets of many pharmacological treatments for insomnia, such as benzodiazepines. Here, we perform a systematic analysis of studies assessing the mechanisms of action of various herbal medicines on different subtypes of GABA receptors in the context of sleep control. Currently available evidence suggests that herbal extracts may exert some of their hypnotic and anxiolytic activity through interacting with GABA receptors and modulating GABAergic signaling in the brain, but their mechanism of action in the treatment of insomnia is not completely understood.

The Effects of Agonists of Ionotropic GABAAand Metabotropic GABABReceptors on Learning

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evgeniya A. Zyablitseva ◽  
Nikolay S. Kositsyn ◽  
Galina I. Shul'gina
Keyword(s):  
Affect Regulation ◽  
Gaba Receptors ◽  
Conditioned Inhibition ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Internal Inhibition ◽  
Selective Agonist ◽  
The Brain

The research described here investigates the role played by inhibitory processes in the discriminations made by the nervous system of humans and animals between familiar and unfamiliar and significant and nonsignificant events. This research compared the effects of two inhibitory mediators of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA): 1) phenibut, a nonselective agonist of ionotropic GABAAand metabotropic GABABreceptors and 2) gaboxadol a selective agonist of ionotropic GABAAreceptors on the process of developing active defensive and inhibitory conditioned reflexes in alert non-immobilized rabbits. It was found that phenibut, but not gaboxadol, accelerates the development of defensive reflexes at an early stage of conditioning. Both phenibut and gaboxadol facilitate the development of conditioned inhibition, but the effect of gaboxadol occurs at later stages of conditioning and is less stable than that of phenibut. The earlier and more stable effects of phenibut, as compared to gaboxadol, on storage in memory of the inhibitory significance of a stimulus may occur because GABABreceptors play the dominant role in the development of internal inhibition during an early stage of conditioning. On the other hand this may occur because the participation of both GABAAand GABABreceptors are essential to the process. We discuss the polyfunctionality of GABA receptors as a function of their structure and the positions of the relevant neurons in the brain as this factor can affect regulation of various types of psychological processes.

scholarly journals Metabolomic changes in animal models of depression: a systematic analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juncai Pu ◽  
Yiyun Liu ◽  
Siwen Gui ◽  
Lu Tian ◽  
Yue Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Models ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Hippuric Acid ◽  
Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Blood Metabolites ◽  
Pimelic Acid ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Animal Models Of Depression ◽  
The Brain

AbstractExtensive research has been carried out on the metabolomic changes in animal models of depression; however, there is no general agreement about which metabolites exhibit constant changes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify consistently altered metabolites in large-scale metabolomics studies of depression models. We performed vote counting analyses to identify consistently upregulated or downregulated metabolites in the brain, blood, and urine of animal models of depression based on 3743 differential metabolites from 241 animal metabolomics studies. We found that serotonin, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, norepinephrine, N-acetyl-L-aspartic acid, anandamide, and tryptophan were downregulated in the brain, while kynurenine, myo-inositol, hydroxykynurenine, and the kynurenine to tryptophan ratio were upregulated. Regarding blood metabolites, tryptophan, leucine, tyrosine, valine, trimethylamine N-oxide, proline, oleamide, pyruvic acid, and serotonin were downregulated, while N-acetyl glycoprotein, corticosterone, and glutamine were upregulated. Moreover, citric acid, oxoglutaric acid, proline, tryptophan, creatine, betaine, L-dopa, palmitic acid, and pimelic acid were downregulated, and hippuric acid was upregulated in urine. We also identified consistently altered metabolites in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, serum, and plasma. These findings suggested that metabolomic changes in depression models are characterized by decreased neurotransmitter and increased kynurenine metabolite levels in the brain, decreased amino acid and increased corticosterone levels in blood, and imbalanced energy metabolism and microbial metabolites in urine. This study contributes to existing knowledge of metabolomic changes in depression and revealed that the reproducibility of candidate metabolites was inadequate in previous studies.

scholarly journals Edited Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Detects an Age-Related Decline in Nonhuman Primate Brain GABA Levels

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuanzi He ◽  
Bang-Bon Koo ◽  
Ronald J. Killiany
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Resonance Spectroscopy ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Gaba Level ◽  
Inhibitory Neurotransmitter ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Brain

Recent research had shown a correlation between aging and decreasing Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. However, how GABA level varies with age in the medial portion of the brain has not yet been studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the GABA level variation with age focusing on the posterior cingulate cortex, which is the “core hub” of the default mode network. In this study, 14 monkeys between 4 and 21 years were recruited, and MEGA-PRESS MRS was performed to measure GABA levels, in order to explore a potential link between aging and GABA. Our results showed that a correlation between age and GABA+/Creatine ratio was at the edge of significance (r=-0.523,p=0.081). There was also a near-significant trend between gray matter/white matter ratio and the GABA+/Creatine ratio (r=-0.518,p=0.0848). Meanwhile, the correlation between age and grey matter showed no significance (r=-0.028,p=0.93). Therefore, age and gray matter/white matter ratio account for different part ofR-squared (adjustedR-squared = 0.5187) as independent variables for predicting GABA levels. AdjustedR-squared is about 0.5 for two independent variables. These findings suggest that there is internal neurochemical variation of GABA levels in the nonhuman primates associated with normal aging and structural brain decline.

The Benzodiazepine Receptor and its Role in Anxiety

1988 ◽  
Vol 152 (5) ◽  
pp. 599-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra E. File
Keyword(s):  
Binding Sites ◽  
Gaba Receptors ◽  
Benzodiazepine Receptor ◽  
Primary Site ◽  
Affinity Binding ◽  
High Affinity Binding ◽  
Inhibitory Neurotransmitter ◽  
High Affinity ◽  
Site Of Action ◽  
The Brain

Ten years ago, specific high-affinity binding sites for benzodiazepines (BDZs) were found in the brain (Mohler & Okada, 1977; Squires & Braestrup, 1977). These binding sites are believed to be the primary site of action of BDZs and are found on the same protein as GABA receptors. GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain.

Alternative Medicine Use in Presurgical Patients

2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence C. Tsen ◽  
Scott Segal ◽  
Margaret Pothier ◽  
Angela M. Bader
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Medical Liability ◽  
Medicine Use ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Large Tertiary Care ◽  
Counter Medication

Background A dramatic increase in the use of complementary and alternative medicines has been observed. The use of such remedies in the presurgical population has implications for the anesthesiologist because of the potential for drug interactions, side effects, and medical liability. This study was undertaken to quantify the use of herbal remedies and vitamins in the presurgical population of a large tertiary care center. Methods A one-page questionnaire was distributed to all patients presenting for evaluation in the preoperative clinic over an 11-week period. Patients answered questions regarding use of prescription and nonprescription medications, herbal remedies, and vitamins. Results Twenty-two percent of presurgical patients reported the use of herbal remedies, and 51% used vitamins. Women and patients aged 40-60 yr were more likely to use herbal medicines. Over-the-counter medication use was strongly associated with herbal preparation use. The most commonly used compounds, from highest to lowest, included echinacea, gingko biloba, St. John's wort, garlic, and ginseng. Conclusions Alternative medicine use is common in the preoperative period.

scholarly journals Presynaptic inhibition of dopamine neurons controls optimistic bias

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuhiro Yamagata ◽  
Takahiro Ezaki ◽  
Takahiro Takahashi ◽  
Hongyang Wu ◽  
Hiromu Tanimoto
Keyword(s):  
Gaba Receptors ◽  
Dopamine Neurons ◽  
Inhibitory Input ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Presynaptic Terminals ◽  
Memory Specificity ◽  
Cell Type Specific ◽  
Presynaptic Regulation ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Inhibitory Regulation

Regulation of reward signaling in the brain is critical for appropriate judgement of the environment and self. In Drosophila, the protocerebral anterior medial (PAM) cluster dopamine neurons mediate reward signals. Here, we show that localized inhibitory input to the presynaptic terminals of the PAM neurons titrates olfactory reward memory and controls memory specificity. The inhibitory regulation was mediated by metabotropic gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors clustered in presynaptic microdomain of the PAM boutons. Cell type-specific silencing the GABA receptors enhanced memory by augmenting internal reward signals. Strikingly, the disruption of GABA signaling reduced memory specificity to the rewarded odor by changing local odor representations in the presynaptic terminals of the PAM neurons. The inhibitory microcircuit of the dopamine neurons is thus crucial for both reward values and memory specificity. Maladaptive presynaptic regulation causes optimistic cognitive bias.

scholarly journals Dietary modulation of cortical excitation and inhibition

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 632-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anika K Smith ◽  
Alex R Wade ◽  
Kirsty EH Penkman ◽  
Daniel H Baker
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Intervention ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Dietary Interventions ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Inhibitory Neurotransmitter ◽  
Clinical Benefits ◽  
Cortical Excitation ◽  
The Brain

The balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the brain affects both neural responses and behaviour in humans and animals. Here we investigated whether dietary intervention aimed at increasing levels of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) can influence neural responses to basic sensory stimuli. Using a steady-state electroencephalography (EEG) paradigm, we found that the neural response to visual patterns was reduced in individuals who consumed a yeast extract product rich in substances associated with the production of GABA (glutamate and B vitamins), but not in a control group who consumed a placebo substance ( n = 14 per group). This demonstrates that the balance of excitation and inhibition in the brain can be influenced by dietary interventions, suggesting possible clinical benefits in conditions (e.g. epilepsy) where inhibition is abnormal.

scholarly journals Hepatotoxic Botanicals - An Evidence-based Systematic Review

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reem J Abdualmjid ◽  
Consolato Sergi
Keyword(s):  
Liver Toxicity ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Hepatic Necrosis ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Natural Medicine ◽  
Elevated Liver Enzymes

Purpose. Herbal medicines have been increasingly used worldwide. However, the potential harms of these herbs have been noticed most recently following hepatotoxicity with ingestion of herbal remedies. The aim of this review is to evaluate the evidence of hepatotoxic effects linked to use of herbal preparations. Method. Electronic search was performed by searching several databases: PubMed, HerbMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Cochrane Library using both Latin and common names of several herbs. Language was restricted to English and articles were selected for relevance reporting incidence of hepatotoxicity associated with use of herbal products in human. Results. From a total of 565 relevant reviews and articles, 254 met our inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Serious hepatotoxic events associated with various herbal products alone or in combination with other drugs have been reported. Linking to herbal constituents the spectrum of liver toxicity includes elevated liver enzymes, acute or chronic hepatitis, cholestasis, hepatic necrosis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis, as well as acute liver failure and hepatic veno-occlusive disease. Conclusion. The hepatotoxicity of herbs was extensively acknowledged. As the use of natural medicine increases, the risk of liver toxicity and drug interaction increase as well. Accordingly, herbal remedies have been known as hepatotoxins causing several liver damages. Further scientific studies with high and good quality are needed to identify toxic compounds and understand the exact mechanism of hepatotoxicity-induced by herbs. The adverse effects of herbal products must be fully reported as well as extensive education of healthcare providers must be provided in order to reduce danger of alternative medicines. This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see “For Readers”) may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue’s contents page.

The GABA system and addiction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Nutt ◽  
Liam J. Nestor
Keyword(s):  
Potential Role ◽  
Abuse Liability ◽  
Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Substance Addiction ◽  
Inhibitory Neurotransmitter ◽  
Gaba System ◽  
Clinical Potential ◽  
The Brain

Research points to the potential role of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in substance addiction. GABA is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Disturbances in the GABA system may predate substance abuse and addiction, whereby its efficacy to modulate other neurotransmitter systems (e.g. dopamine) strongly implicated in substance addiction behaviours is impaired. There are a number of addictive substances that boost GABA functioning, however, such as alcohol and benzodiazepines. Medications that boost the availability of GABA or mimic its effects at receptors may possess some clinical potential in treating addiction, but also have abuse liability.

Changes in the brain levels of GABA and related amino acids in anoxic shore crab (Carcinus maenas)

1993 ◽  
Vol 264 (4) ◽  
pp. R733-R737 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. E. Nilsson ◽  
S. Winberg
Keyword(s):  
Carcinus Maenas ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Shore Crab ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Inhibitory Neurotransmitter ◽  
Brain Levels ◽  
Taurine Level ◽  
Animal Phyla ◽  
Amino Acid Levels ◽  
The Brain

The effects of anoxia on the brain concentrations of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, aspartate, glutamine, alanine, and taurine were measured in the shore crab (Carcinus maenas) and compared with data previously obtained from anoxia-tolerant vertebrates. C. maenas was found to survive 12 h in nitrogen-bubbled water. The changes found in brain amino acid levels were strikingly similar to those seen in anoxia-tolerant vertebrates. Thus, during anoxia, the brain of C. maenas displayed considerable increases in the concentrations of GABA (2.4-fold increase after 12 h) and alanine (8-fold increase after 12 h). By contrast, the brain levels of glutamate, aspartate, and glutamine fell significantly during anoxia, whereas the taurine level remained unchanged. Because GABA is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in arthropods (as well as in most animal phyla), it is suggested that the increased level of GABA could promote the anoxic metabolic depression displayed by C. maenas and thus prolong anoxic survival. It is also possible that the decreases in glutamate and aspartate levels could play similar roles.

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