Amino acid neurotransmitter explained

An amino acid neurotransmitter is an amino acid which is able to transmit a nerve message across a synapse. Neurotransmitters (chemicals) are packaged into vesicles that cluster beneath the axon terminal membrane on the presynaptic side of a synapse in a process called endocytosis.^[1]

Amino acid neurotransmitter release (exocytosis) is dependent upon calcium Ca²⁺ and is a presynaptic response.

Types

Excitatory amino acids (EAA) will activate post-synaptic cells.^[2] inhibitory amino acids (IAA) depress the activity of post-synaptic cells.^[2]

Amino acid^[3] ^[4]	Excitatory or inhibitory
Aspartic acid	Excitatory
β-alanine	Inhibitory
Cysteine	Excitatory
GABA (adult human brain)	Inhibitory (adult); excitatory (developing)
Glycine	Inhibitory
Glutamic acid	Excitatory
Homocysteine	Excitatory
Taurine	Inhibitory

See also

• Amino acid non-protein functions
• Monoamine neurotransmitter

Notes and References

1. Web site: Axon Terminal : on Medical Dictionary Online . 2008-12-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090114034616/http://www.online-medical-dictionary.org/Axon%2BTerminal.asp?q=Axon+Terminal . 14 January 2009 . dead .
2. Book: D'haenen. Hugo. Paul Willner. Biological Psychiatry. digitised online by Google books. 2008-12-26. 2002. John Wiley and Sons. 978-0-471-49198-9. 415 . Johan A. . den Boer.
3. Dalangin . R . Kim . A . Campbell . RE . The Role of Amino Acids in Neurotransmission and Fluorescent Tools for Their Detection. . International Journal of Molecular Sciences . 27 August 2020 . 21 . 17 . 6197 . 10.3390/ijms21176197 . 32867295 . 7503967. free .
4. Book: Foye. William O.. David A. Williams. Foye's Principles of Medicinal Chemistry. 2007. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 978-0-7817-6879-5. 446. Thomas L.. Lemke.