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Home Q & A Board Biology-Related Homework Help Cell Biology
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oapplesauce oapplesauce
wrote...
11 years ago
or at least how our nervous system responds to it.

Since GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter and makes us relaxed and/or sleeper, why can't that be synthesized so we take it directly?

I mean, why not take the inhibitory neurotransmitter itself instead of altering the channels' affinity to it?
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wrote...
#1
11 years ago
Several reasons.
Astrocytes around the neurons selectively uptake and destroy the GABA neurotransmitter with extreme speed.
GABA cannot cross the blood brain barrier.
GABA does not readily survive 1st past metabolism, being degraded by enzymes such as GABA-T in the blood, liver and digestive system.

Basically, you cannot get the neurotransmitter to where it needs to be, even if you were to shoot it straight into your spine.
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