13 Facts About GABA

When net chloride flows out of the cell, GABA is depolarising; when chloride flows into the cell, GABA is inhibitory or hyperpolarizing.

Shunting inhibition can "override" the excitatory effect of depolarising GABA, resulting in overall inhibition even if the membrane potential becomes less negative.

GABA is an inhibitory transmitter in the mature brain; its actions were thought to be primarily excitatory in the developing brain.

Besides the nervous system, GABA is produced at relatively high levels in the insulin-producing ß-cells of the pancreas.

In 2018, GABA has shown to regulate secretion of a greater number of cytokines.

The conformational flexibility of GABA is important for its biological function, as it has been found to bind to different receptors with different conformations.

In 1883, GABA was first synthesized, and it was first known only as a plant and microbe metabolic product.

In 1950, GABA was discovered as an integral part of the mammalian central nervous system.

GABA is primarily synthesized from glutamate via the enzyme glutamate decarboxylase with pyridoxal phosphate as a cofactor.

GABA can be synthesized from putrescine by diamine oxidase and aldehyde dehydrogenase.

Traditionally it was thought that exogenous GABA did not penetrate the blood–brain barrier, however more current research describes the notion as being unclear pending further research.

GABA directly injected to the brain has been reported to have both stimulatory and inhibitory effects on the production of growth hormone, depending on the physiology of the individual.

GABA is not an alpha amino acid, meaning the amino group is not attached to the alpha carbon.