Abstract
This chapter focuses on the distribution and content of amino acids in brain. The transport of an amino acid into and out of the brain, the speed of its various metabolic conversions, and the rate of its incorporation into protein determine the concentration of that particular amino acid found free in the brain. The total free amino acid nitrogen of the brain is about six times higher than the amino acid nitrogen concentration of plasma, and the individual amino acids are at least twice as concentrated in the brain as in the plasma. Much of the amino acid nutrition of the brain is provided by the blood stream. Experiments done both in vivo and with brain slices have led to an understanding of the number and the specificities of the active transport systems of brain. It is known that there are at least seven different systems for amino acid uptake: acidic amino acids, γ-aminobutyric acid and other γ-amino acids, small neutral amino acids, amido amino acids, small basic amino acids, large neutral amino acids, and large basic amino acids.
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