You might think of glutamate as a neurotransmitter’s neurotransmitter—its message primarily excites other neurons to release their neurotransmitters, which results in something happening. For example, if glutamate triggers a motor neuron, it might cause a muscle to contract.
Some people have claimed to suffer headaches or nausea after consuming MSG, but research hasn’t confirmed that MSG itself causes those symptoms.
Because glutamate can’t cross the BBB, the amount of glutamate you eat doesn’t affect the levels of glutamate in your brain at all. All glutamate in your brain is synthesized by the neurons in your brain and central nervous system, then held for later release.
Parmesan cheese contains the highest amount of glutamate, with 1680mg of glutamate for every 100g of cheese. [7] X Research source Scallops are also relatively high in glutamate. The food flavor additive MSG is created using a fermentation process similar to that used for making vinegar or beer.
Because of this particular function, glutamate plays at least a small role in everything that occurs in your body. Thanks to glutamate, the neurons in your nervous system are able to react to various stimuli and communicate with each other.
Glutamate plays a particular role in associative learning—essentially learning through repetition or conditioning. With each repeated exposure, glutamate stimulates the same neurons, which reinforces the same neural pathways and helps you retain the information you’ve been exposed to. Glutamate’s role in the maintenance of neural communication also helps to encode memories in your brain, both for short-term working memory and long-term memory. [10] X Research source
Glutamate helps regulate this process by provoking new neurons to fire.
Theoretically, a shortage of GABA relative to glutamate could result in hyperactive and asocial behavior, similar to symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Too much GABA relative to glutamate, on the other hand, might lead to depressive symptoms. However, this relationship hasn’t been studied in humans.
As of 2021, there are no known treatments for this disorder that will prevent or delay its signs and symptoms. [17] X Research source
Current therapy for phobias and similar anxiety disorders focuses on gradually exposing you to the thing you’re afraid of in safe circumstances. Experiencing safety in response to that thing gradually “overwrites” your fear association. Glutamate’s roles in learning, neural communication, and neural plasticity make it a prime candidate to focus on when looking for new anxiety disorder treatments.
Scientists believe that if there were a way to control and reduce the excess glutamate in the brain, there would be a way to prevent nerve cell death and slow (if not stop) the progression of these diseases.
Riluzole, a drug that modulates glutamate, was the first approved treatment specifically for ALS. This drug helps reduce excess glutamate to slow the progressive degeneration of the disease.
This over-stimulation can result in nerve cell death (excitotoxicity) in people infected with HIV. For the affected person, the result is progressive dysfunction, similar to that experienced by people with multiple sclerosis (MS) or Alzheimer’s disease. [22] X Research source
This can result in a cascading effect as the dead nerve cells dump the glutamate they were holding as well, triggering the death of other surrounding nerve cells. By enhancing a natural cellular process that pumps excess glutamate out of the brain and into the blood, scientists hope to prevent or stop further brain damage after stroke or TBI. A similar process is likely at work in epilepsy, which causes trauma to the brain and central nervous system leading to the release of excess glutamate. [24] X Research source
Leading a generally active lifestyle improves your health and fitness, but research also shows that at least 75-150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous exercise is better for your overall health than regular, mild activity. [26] X Research source
Too much caffeine can leave you feeling jittery and frazzled. Medical experts recommend no more than 400mg of caffeine per day for healthy adults—that’s about 2 grande (16-ounce) cups of brewed coffee or 10 cans of soda. [28] X Trustworthy Source Cleveland Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source
Taurine has been studied and determined safe at doses from 1 to 6 grams per day. It doesn’t have any major side effects, but could slightly increase your blood pressure temporarily. [31] X Research source
Researchers haven’t arrived at a recommended dosage for GABA supplements. Start with the lowest dosage listed on the bottle, which is usually 100mg spread out over several doses. [33] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
