Abstract
N-ACETYL-L-ASPARTIC acid (NAA) was discovered by Tallan et al. in 1956 and shown to be unique in its restricted localization to the brain of vertebrate species and in its very high concentration in that organ1. Occurring at a level of approximately 1 mg/g of brain, NAA is second only to glutamic acid in the level of free amino-acids in this tissue. Numerous attempts, using a variety of drugs and experimental procedures, to change the concentration of NAA in the brain have met with little success. Thus, electric shock, insulin shock, ammonia intoxication, and the administration to animals of tranquillizers, central nervous system depressants or convulsants, all failed to alter significantly the concentration of NAA in the brain2–4.
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Fleming, M. C. (personal communication).
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McINTOSH, J., COOPER, J. Function of N-Acetyl Aspartic Acid in the Brain : Effects of Certain Drugs. Nature 203, 658 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/203658a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/203658a0
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