Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Changes with aging in the levels of amino acids in rat CNS structural elements I. Glutamate and related amino acids

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Neurochemical Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Glutamate and related amino acids were determined in 53 discrete brain areas of 3-and 29-month-old male Fischer 344 rats microdissected with the punch technique. The levels of amino acids showed high regional variation-the ratio of the highest to lowest level was 9 for aspartate, 5 for glutamate, 6 for glutamine, and 21 for GABA. Several areas were found to have all four amino acids at very high or at very low level, but also some areas had some amino acids at high, others at low level. With age, in more than half of the areas, significant changes could be observed, decrease occurred 5 times more frequently than increase. Changes occurred more often in levels of aspartate and GABA than in those of glutamate or glutamine. The regional levels of glutamate and its related amino acids show severalfold variations, with the levels tending to decrease in the aged brain.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Davis, J. M., and Himwich, W. A. 1973. Amino acids and proteins of developing mammalian brain. Pages 55–110,in Himwich, W. (ed.), Biochemistry of the Developing Brain, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Lajtha, A., and Toth, J. 1973. Perinatal changes in the free amino acid pool of the brain in mice. Brain Res. 55:238–241.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Korobkin, R. K., and Cutler, R. W. P. 1977. Maturational changes of amino acid concentration in cerebrospinal fluid of the rat. Brain Res. 119:181–187.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Gerritsen, T., and Waisman, H. A. 1968. The free amino acids of brain and liver during fetal life. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 129:542–546.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Palkovits, M. 1973. Isolated removal of hypothalamic or other brain nuclei of the rat. Brain Res. 59:449–450.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Lowry, O. H., Rosebrough, N. J., Farr, A. L., and Randall, R. J. 1951. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J. Biol. Chem. 193:265–275.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Neidle, A., Banay-Schwartz, M., Sacks, S., and Dunlop, D.S. 1989. Amino acid analysis using 1-naphthylisocyanate as a precolumn HPLC derivatization reagent. Anal. Biochem. (in press).

  8. Lajtha, A., and Toth, J. 1974. Postmortem changes in the cerebral free amino acid pool. Brain Res. 76:546–551.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Balcom, G. J., Lenox, R. H., and Meyerhoff, J. L. 1976. Regional glutamate levels in rat brain determined after microwave fixation. J. Neurochem. 26:423–425.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Perry, T. L., Hansen, S., and Gandham, S. 1981. Postmortem changes of amino acid compounds in human and rat brain. J. Neurochem. 36:406–412.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Perry, T. L. 1982. Cerebral amino acid pools. Pages 151–179,in Lajtha, A. (ed.), Handbook of Neurochemistry, Vol. 1, Plenum Publishing Corp., New York.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Himwich, W. A., and Agrawal, H. C. 1969. Amino acids. Pages 33–52,in Lajtha A (ed.), Handbook of Neurochemistry, Vol. 1, Plenum Publishing Corp., New York.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Levi, G., Kandera, J., and Lajtha, A. 1967. Control of cerebral metabolite levels. I. Amino acid uptake and levels in various species. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 119:303–311.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Kandera, J., Levi, G., and Lajtha, A. 1968. Control of cerebral metabolite levels. II. Amino acid uptake and levels in various areas of the rate brain. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 126:249–260.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Battistin, L., and Lajtha, A. 1970. Regional distribution and movement of amino acids in brain. J. Neurol. Sci. 10:313–322.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Perry, T. L., Berry, K., Hansen, S., Diamond, S., and Mok, C. 1971. Regional distribution of amino acids in human brain obtained at autopsy. J. Neurochem. 18:513–519.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Palkovits, M., Lang, T., Patthy, A., and Elekes, I. 1986. Distribution and stress-induced increase of glutamate and aspartate levels in discrete brain nuclei of rats. Brain Res. 373:252–257.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Elekes, I., Patthy, A., Lang, T., and Palkovits, M. 1986. Concentrations of GABA and glycine in discrete brain nuclei: Stressinduced changes in the levels of inhibitory amino acids. Neuropharmacology 25:703–709.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Frankfurt, M., Fuchs, E., and Wuttke, W. 1984. Sex differences in γ-aminobutyric acid and glutamate concentrations in discrete rat brain nuclei. Neurosci. Lett. 50:245–250.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Wood, J. D., and Kurylo, E. 1984. Amino acid content of nerve endings (synaptosomes) in different regions of brain: effects of GABAculine and isonicotinic acid hydrazide. J. Neurochem. 42:420–425.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. van Gelder, N. M., Siatitsas, Menini, C., and Gloor, P. 1983. Feline generalized penicillin epilepsy: Changes of glutamic acid and taurine parallel the progressive increase in excitability of the cortex. Epilepsia 24:200–213.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Watson, A. H. D. 1988. Antibodies against GABA and glutamate label neurons with morphologically distinct synaptic vesicles in the locust central nervous system. Neuroscience 26:33–44.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Allen, I. C., Schousboe, A., and Griffiths, R. 1986. Effect of L-homocysteine and derivatives on the high-affinity uptake of taurine and GABA into synaptosomes and cultured neurons and astrocytes. Neurochem. Res. 11:1487–1496.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Fonnum, F. 1988. Excitatory amino acids and brain disorders. neurochem. Int., 13, Supp. 1, Abstr. 7th Gen. Meeting Eur. Soc. Neurochem., Göteborg, Sweden.

  25. Sershen, H., and Lajtha, A. 1979. Perinatal changes of transport systems for amino acids in slices of mouse brain. Neurochem. Res. 1:417–428.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Oldendorf, W. H., and Szabo, J. 1976. Amino acid assignment to one of three blood-brain barrier amino acid carriers. Amer. J. Physiol. 230:94–98.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Naito, S., and Ueda, T. 1984. Characterization of glutamate uptake into synaptic vesicles. J. Neurochem. 44:99–109.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Fonnum, F., and Fykse, E-M. 1988. Transmitter amino acid uptake into synaptic vesicles. Trans. Amer. Soc. Neurochem. 19:199.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Wood, P. L., Kim, H. S., Cheney, D. L., Cosi, C., Marien, M., Rao, T. S., and Martin, L. L. 1988. constant infusion of [13C6]glucose: simultaneous measurement of turnover of GABA and glutamate in defined regions of the brain of individual animals. Neuropharmacology 27:669–676.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Kornhuber, J., Kornhuber, M. E., Hartmann, G. M., and Kornhuber, A. W. 1988. In vivo influences on cerebrospinal fluid amino acid levels. Neurochem. Int. 12:25–31.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Fykse, E. M., Christensen, H., Johnson, H., and Fonnum, F. 1988. Properies of GABA andl-glutamate uptake by rat synaptic vesicles. Page 113, in Neurochem. Int., Vol. 13, Supp. 1, Abstr. 7th Gen. Meeting Eur. Soc. Neurochem., Göteborg, Sweden.

  32. van Gelder, N. M., and Drujan, B. D. 1980. Alterations in the compartmentalized metabolism of glutamic acid with changed cerebral conditions. Brain Res. 200:443–455.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Levi, G., and Lajtha, A. 1965. Cerebral amino acid transport in vitro — II. Regional differences in amino acid uptake by slices from the central nervous system of the rat. J. Neurochem. 12:639–648.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Sershen, H., and Lajtha, A. 1979. Inhibition pattern by analogs indicates the presence of ten or more transport systems for amino acids in brain cells. J. Neurochem. 32:719–726.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research and New York University Medical Center, New York

    M. Banay-Schwartz & A. Lajtha

  2. First Department of Anatomy, Semmelweis University Medical School, Budapest, Hungary

    M. Palkovits

  3. Laboratory of Cell Biology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland

    M. Palkovits

Authors
  1. M. Banay-Schwartz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. Lajtha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Palkovits
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Banay-Schwartz, M., Lajtha, A. & Palkovits, M. Changes with aging in the levels of amino acids in rat CNS structural elements I. Glutamate and related amino acids. Neurochem Res 14, 555–562 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00964918

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00964918

Key Words

Search

Navigation