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Updated: Mar 10, 2026

A Plate-Based Assay for the Measurement of Endogenous Monoamine Release in Acute Brain Slices
Published on: August 11, 2021
Effects of precursors on brain neurotransmitter synthesis and brain functions
1Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract:
This paper reviews factors which influence the levels of aminergic transmitters in the brain. In particular precursor availability to the brain influences the rates of synthesis of serotonin, the catecholamines, and acetylcholine by brain neurons. The diet readily influences brain neurotransmitter formation via this mechanism. At present, the importance of this relationship to body regulation is not well understood. Nonetheless, precursors (tryptophan, tyrosine, choline, and lecithin) have begun to find uses as therapeutic agents in the treatment of disease states involving diminished transmitter formation and release. Hopefully, these compounds will find a wide range of uses, as they lack many of the side effects that accompany the use of drugs.
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