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Glutamate Vs Gba Research Paper

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Every day, your brain maintains a delicate balance between chemicals that push its cells to fire and opposing chemicals that pull its cells back toward inactivity. Two of the most common neurochemicals that play this tug of war are glutamate and GABA, both of which are classified as neurotransmitters, chemical messengers that communicate between neighboring brain cells. The purpose of glutamate is to elicit action, while the function of the GABA neurotransmitter is to restore calm.

You can think of glutamate as a personal trainer, urging your neurons (brain cells) to do more and go faster. GABA on the other hand, acts more like a parent at nap time, trying to lull your neurons into rest.

Function of the GABA Neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a common neurotransmitter that affects many aspects of health, especially emotional and physical …show more content…

Sleep is lighter and more interrupted, and there is a smaller proportion of slow wave sleep. Slow wave sleep is important, not just because it subjectively feels deeper and more refreshing, but also because it plays a significant role in immune function, growth and physical repair of muscles and tissues. Low GABA may also be responsible for mood imbalance. Depression is one possibility, but low GABA levels may also trigger other disorders such as bipolar mania. One study found that people with panic disorder had 22 percent less GABA than average. And people who have undergone trauma are much more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) if their GABA level is low. There is increasing evidence that many neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism and schizophrenia, may be outward signs of underlying problems in the glutamate-GABA system. Of course, the psychological impact of a GABA shortage could be more subtle; there is also a link between GABA deficit and poor impulse

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