[The neural activity of thiamine: facts and hypotheses]

A review of some experimental results as to identification of the specific role of thiamine in functioning of nerve cells is presented. Failure to attribute high neuroactivity of thiamine considering only its known biochemical function as a coenzyme precursor of some key Enzymes of the carbohydrate metabolism has formed conceptions existence of non-coenzyme functions in this vitamin which are realized in nerve cells. The Investigation of this thiamine function has been developing mainly in two principal directions the study of participation of biologically active thiamine derivatives is functioning of the excited membrane ion channels and the study of their role in the synthesis and metabolism of acetylcholine. Taking into account analysis of their own data and those available in literature, the authors formulate a hypothesis which attributes high neuroactivity of thiamine not to the existence of a certain function in the nerve cells new for this vitamin but only to the peculiarities of the structure-functional organization of the cells the existence of excited membrane, and interdependence between the cellular metabolism and transport of loss via the membrane, which underlies regulation of the synthesis, release, capture and catabolism of neurotransmitters.