Work

Ketosis and brain handling of glutamate, glutamine, and GABA

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: We hypothesize that one mechanism of the anti-epileptic effect of the ketogenic diet is to alter brain handling of glutamate. According to this formulation, in ketotic brain astrocyte metabolism is more active, resulting in enhanced conversion of glutamate to glutamine. This allows for: (a) more efficient removal of glutamate, the most important excitatory neurotransmitter; and (b) more efficient conversion of glutamine to GABA, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter.

Source: Epilepsia

DOI: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2008.01841.x

Authors: Marc Yudkoff, Yevgeny Daikhin, Oksana Horyn, Ilana Nissim, Itzhak Nissim

Institutions: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania

Language: English

Topic: Diet and metabolism studies

Subfield: Physiology (medical)

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development