Abstract
SEVERAL substances, which affect brain metabolism, act upon the γ-aminobutyric acid-level in that organ1. Insulin-induced hypoglycæmia brings about a drop in the γ-aminobutyric acid-level, probably as a result of decreased glutamic acid concentration. The administration of some substances, known to inhibit glutamic acid decarboxylase, leads also to a drop in the level of γ-aminobutyric acid in the brain. Thus, semicarbazide, an inhibitor combining with the aldehyde group of pyridoxalphosphate, reduces the γ-aminobutyric acid-level in the brain by approximately 30 per cent2 ; in a similar way, 2-methyl-4-amino-5-oxymethylpyrimidine brings about a drop3. After the ethanol ingestion, however, the level of γ-aminobutyric acid content in the brain was found to be increased4.
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References
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TURSKÝ, T. Effect of Potassium Cyanide Poisoning on the γ-Aminobutyric Acid-Level in the Brain. Nature 187, 322–323 (1960). https://doi.org/10.1038/187322a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/187322a0
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