TACA-15 谷氨酸

StarCare

TACA-15 谷氨酸
Glutamate

原文网址：https://tacanow.org/family-resources/glutamate/

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我们通常与自闭症相关的症状——如焦虑、抽动和注意力不集中——可能是由大脑中神经递质失衡引起的，特别是谷氨酸和GABA。然而，减少大脑中游离谷氨酸的量可以帮助缓解这些症状。在本文中，我们将概述为什么平衡谷氨酸和GABA很重要、需要注意的症状以及有帮助的干预措施。

Symptoms we often associate with autism—such as anxiety, tics, and inattention—can be caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain, specifically glutamate and GABA. However, reducing the amount of free glutamate in the brain can help alleviate these symptoms. In this article, we will outline why it is important to balance glutamate and GABA, symptoms to look for, and interventions that are helpful.

谷氨酸失衡的症状有哪些？
What are the Symptoms of a Glutamate Imbalance?

首先，让我们谈谈当大脑中谷氨酸过多时可能出现的身体和情绪症状。

First, let's talk about the physical and emotional symptoms that can appear when there is too much glutamate in the brain.

情绪症状

• 高度焦虑
  
• 思维不安
  
• 想放松时无法让大脑停下来
  
• 注意力分散或无法集中
  
• 过度担心不该担心的事情
  
• 容易感到不知所措
  
• 抑郁
  
• 强迫症（OCD）
  
  

Emotional Symptoms

• High Anxiety
  
• Restless mind
  
• Cannot turn your brain off when you want to relax
  
• Disorganized attention or inability to focus
  
• Worry too much about things you should not
  
• Gets overwhelmed easily
  
• Depression
  
• OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
  
  

身体症状

• 我们通常与自闭症相关的行为，如：
  
  
  
  
  • 复杂运动刻板行为（CMS）——看起来像拍手或自我刺激
    
    
• 抽动
  
• 偏头痛
  
• 癫痫发作
  
• PANDAS/PANS症状
  
• 无法耐受叶酸补充剂：
  
  
  
  
  • 叶酸由多个谷氨酸结合物组成
    
  • 当你给予高剂量叶酸时，无论是5MTHF、亚叶酸还是叶酸，都会推高游离谷氨酸
    
  • 因此，由于谷氨酸是兴奋性的，你可能会在高剂量叶酸时看到过度的自我刺激、头痛甚至攻击行为，直到谷氨酸平衡
    
  • 注意：B6是将过量谷氨酸转化为甘氨酸（有镇静作用）所需的
    
  • 因此，有时B6（p5p）会帮助平息对叶酸的反应
    
    
  
  

Physical Symptoms

• Behaviors that we typically associate with autism, such as:
  
  
  
  
  • Complex Motor Sterotypies (CMS) – looks like flapping or stimming
    
    
• Tics
  
• Migraines
  
• Seizures
  
• Symptoms of PANDAS/PANS
  
• Cannot handle folate supplements:
  
  
  
  
  • Folates are made up of numerous glutamic acids conjugates.
    
  • When you give a high dose of folate, whether it be 5MTHF, folinic acid, or folic acid, it pushes up free glutamate.
    
  • Therefore, since glutamate is excitatory, you may see excess stimming, headaches, or even aggression on high doses of folate until the glutamate evens out.
    
  • Note that B6 is needed to convert excess glutamic acid to glycine, which is calming.
    
  • For this reason, sometimes B6 (p5p) will help calm down the reaction to folate.
    
    
  
  

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什么是谷氨酸？它有什么作用？
What is Glutamate and What Does it Do?

现在您知道了过量谷氨酸的症状是什么样的，让我们来谈谈什么是谷氨酸、它做什么以及为什么自闭症孩子的父母应该了解它。

Now that you know what the symptoms of excess glutamate look like, let's talk about what glutamate is, what it does, and why parents of children with autism should know about it.

什么是谷氨酸？它有什么作用？

谷氨酸是一种氨基酸神经递质：

• 氨基酸是蛋白质的构建块。
  
  
  
  
  • 谷氨酸是一种非必需氨基酸。
    
    
    
    
    • 这意味着谷氨酸可以由我们的身体制造，所以我们不需要摄入它。
      
      
  • 谷氨酸要么以谷氨酸形式结合在蛋白质中，要么以MSG（味精）形式游离存在。
    
    
• 神经递质是在神经细胞与肌肉、腺体和身体器官之间传递信息的分子。
  
  
  
  
  • 神经递质引发兴奋性、抑制性或调节性反应。
    
  • 谷氨酸是一种兴奋性神经递质，这意味着它刺激目标细胞进入活动状态。
    
    
  
  

What is Glutamate and What Does it Do?

Glutamate is an amino acid neurotransmitter:

• Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.
  
  
  
  
  • Glutamate is a nonessential amino acid.
    
    
    
    
    • This means that glutamate can be made by our body so we do not need to consume it.
      
      
  • Glutamate is either bound in protein as glutamic acid or unbound as MSG (Monosodium glutamate).
    
    
• Neurotransmitters are molecules that transmit messages between nerve cells to muscles, glands, and organs of the body.
  
  
  
  
  • Neurotransmitters elicit excitatory, inhibitory, or modulatory responses.
    
  • Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, which means it stimulates target cells into action.
    
    
  
  

身体需要谷氨酸来执行重要功能。例如，谷氨酸：

• 在神经细胞之间传递信号
  
• 在学习和记忆中发挥重要作用
  
• 可以改善肠道功能
  
• 帮助免疫
  
  

The body needs glutamate in order to perform important functions. For example, glutamate:

• Sends signals between nerve cells
  
• Plays an important role in learning and memory
  
• Can improve gut function
  
• Helps with immunity
  
  

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为什么父母应该关心谷氨酸？
Why Should Parents Care About Glutamate?

正如身体中大多数事物一样，当涉及到谷氨酸时，一切都是关于平衡。因此，当我们有太多或太少的谷氨酸时，问题就会发生。

As is the case with most everything in the body, when it comes to glutamate, it is all about balance. Hence, the problem occurs when we have too much or too little glutamate.

• 谷氨酸是兴奋性的，需要与GABA（有镇静作用）平衡。
  
  
  
  
  • 因此，两者之间的不平衡会导致睡眠、焦虑或注意力问题。
    
    
• 此外，研究表明，自闭症儿童往往有太多的谷氨酸和不够的GABA。
  
• 同样，如果您的孩子有PANS或PANDAS，他们会有谷氨酸调节问题。
  
• 谷氨酸和炎症是相互关联的。所以，如果您有炎症，您可能有高谷氨酸。同样，如果您有高谷氨酸，您的身体可能会产生炎症。
  
  

• Glutamate, which is excitatory, needs to balance with GABA, which is calming.
  
  
  
  
  • Consequently, an imbalance between the two can cause issues with sleep, anxiety, or focus.
    
    
• Furthermore, research shows that kids with autism tend to have too much glutamate and not enough GABA.
  
• Likewise, if your child has PANS or PANDAS, they will have glutamate regulation issues.
  
• Glutamate and inflammation are intertwined. So, if you have inflammation, you likely have high glutamate. Similarly, if you have high glutamate, your body is likely to create inflammation.
  
  

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什么实验室检查可以告诉我过量谷氨酸是否是我孩子的问题？
What Labwork Can Tell Me if Excess Glutamate is a Problem for My Child?

有几种方法可以帮助确定您孩子的症状是否可归因于谷氨酸毒性。最简单和最经济的方法是尝试低谷氨酸饮食并观察行为变化。

There are several ways to help determine if your child's symptoms can be attributed to glutamate toxicity. The easiest and most cost-effective way is to trial a low-glutamate diet and watch for behavioral changes.

然而，您可能需要考虑与您孩子的医生讨论运行以下实验室检查，以帮助确定您孩子的症状是否由过量谷氨酸水平引起：

However, you may want to consider talking to your child's doctor about running the following labs to help determine if your child symptoms are being caused by excess levels of glutamate:

基础实验室检查：

• 尿液氨基酸分析：给您谷氨酸和GABA水平的总体平均值。然而，这项检查可能不可靠，因为它无法告诉您谷氨酸是否在大脑的某些区域积聚，而这通常是情况。
  
• 血液检查：简单的血液检查可以检测血浆谷氨酸水平。但是，这项检查也不可靠，因为它会给您一个总体平均值而不是清晰的图像。
  
  

Basic Labwork

• Urine Amino Analysis: gives you an overall average of glutamate and GABA levels. However, this test can be unreliable as it is cannot tell you if glutamate is pooling in certain areas of the brain, which is often the case.
  
• Blood Test: simple bloodwork can test for blood plasma glutamate levels. But, this test is also unreliable as it will give you an overall average instead of a clear picture.
  
  

高级实验室检查：

• 腰椎穿刺：这是最可靠的检查之一，因为它测量脑脊液中的谷氨酸水平。不幸的是，脑脊液只能通过腰椎穿刺收集，这是一种非常有创的程序。
  
• MRI：最近的发现表明，具有5特斯拉分辨率的脑MRI可以指示谷氨酸在大脑中积聚的位置。虽然可靠，但MRI可能难以获得，特别是如果您的孩子需要镇静。
  
  

Advanced Labwork

• Lumbar puncture: this is one of the most reliable tests because it measures glutamate levels in the cerebrospinal fluid. Unfortunately, cerebrospinal fluid can only be collected through a lumbar puncture, which is very invasive procedure.
  
• MRI: recent discoveries show that a brain MRI with a 5 Tesla resolution can give an indication as to where glutamate is pooling in the brain. Though reliable, an MRI can be difficult to obtain, especially if your child requires sedation.
  
  

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您可以做什么来管理过量的谷氨酸水平？
What Can You Do to Manage Excess Levels of Glutamate?

最后，有许多方法可以减少体内过量的谷氨酸水平，其中许多方法易于实施且成本低廉。

Finally, there are a number of ways to reduce excess levels of glutamate in the body, many of which are easy and inexpensive to implement.

饮食干预

因为某些食物含有大量的游离谷氨酸，减少谷氨酸毒性最简单的方法之一是通过饮食干预。这可以通过去除或减少高游离谷氨酸的食物来完成，例如：

• 面筋、乳制品和大豆
  
• 加工食品
  
• 骨汤：长时间煮汤不仅会产生大量游离谷氨酸，还会产生组胺
  
• 某些发酵食品，如开菲尔、奶酪、腌制肉类和酱油
  
  

Dietary Interventions

Because certain foods contain high amounts of free glutamate, one of the easiest ways to reduce glutamate toxicity is through dietary intervention. This can be done by removing or reducing foods that are high in free glutamate, such as:

• Gluten, dairy, and soy.
  
• Processed foods.
  
• Bone broth: cooking broth for a long time not only results in high amounts of free glutamate, but histamine as well.
  
• Certain fermented foods such as kefir, cheese, preserved meats, and soy sauce.
  
  

药物

您也可以使用处方药物减少游离谷氨酸，例如：

• Namenda（美金刚）
  
• 金刚烷胺
  
  

Medications

You can also reduce free glutamate with prescription medications, such as:

• Namenda (Memantine)
  
• Amantadine
  
  

补充剂

另一种帮助在大脑中建立谷氨酸和GABA平衡的方法是通过补充。虽然有些补充剂可以帮助减少谷氨酸，但其他补充剂会增加它。

可以帮助减少谷氨酸的补充剂：

• 镁——阻断NMDA谷氨酸受体
  
• 硒——对谷氨酸有保护作用
  
• B12——对谷氨酸有保护作用
  
• α-硫辛酸（ALA）——帮助转化谷氨酸
  
• 小檗碱——帮助运输/转化谷氨酸并有保护作用
  
• 草药（猫爪草、甘草根、人参、银杏叶）都有帮助
  
• 线粒体支持——保护免受谷氨酸损伤
  
• NAC（N-乙酰半胱氨酸）——帮助身体调节谷氨酸
  
• B6（p5p）——是在大脑中制造GABA的辅因子
  
  

Supplements That Can Help Reduce Glutamate:

• Magnesium blocks the NMDA glutamate receptor
  
• Selenium is protective against glutamate
  
• B12 is protective against glutamate
  
• Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) helps convert glutamate
  
• Berberine helps transport/convert glutamate and is protective
  
• Herbs (cats claw, licorice root, ginseng, gingko biloba) are all helpful
  
• Mitochondrial supports to protect against damage from glutamate
  
• NAC (N-Acetyl Cystine) helps the body regulate glutamate
  
• B6 (p5p) is a cofactor to make GABA in the brain
  
  

可能增加谷氨酸的补充剂：

• L-谷氨酰胺——除了导致谷氨酸升高外，谷氨酰胺补充还可能增加氨的产生，同时损害氨的运输和解毒。
  
• 甘氨酸——这通常有镇静作用，但在某些人中它可以转化为谷氨酸，特别是没有足够的B6时。
  
• GABA——补充GABA可能没有帮助，因为GABA在某些人体内可以转化为谷氨酸。
  
  

Supplements That Can Increase Glutamate:

• L-Glutamine – In addition to contributing to elevated glutamate, glutamine supplementation can increase ammonia production while also impairing ammonia transport and detoxification.
  
• Glycine – This is generally calming but it can convert to glutamate in some people, especially without enough B6.
  
• GABA – Supplementing with GABA may not help as GABA can convert to glutamate in the body in some people.
  
  

有些有谷氨酸问题的人无法耐受补充剂。因此，在改变孩子的补充方案之前，请咨询您孩子的医生。特别是如果您的孩子在服用补充剂时症状恶化。

Some people with glutamate issues cannot handle supplements. For this reason, please consult with your child's doctor before making changes to their supplement regime. Especially if your child's symptoms worsen when taking supplements.

去除/减少屏幕时间

您还可以通过生活方式改变（如减少或消除屏幕时间）来减少游离谷氨酸。虽然看起来不太可能，但研究确实表明电磁场会增加谷氨酸：

• "极低频电磁场暴露导致认知障碍，与谷氨酸水平改变相关"
  
• "电磁场存在下突触间隙内谷氨酸浓度的变化"
  
  

因此，如果您知道您的孩子有过量谷氨酸的问题，并且屏幕时间导致他们更多的自我刺激，请考虑在调节过量谷氨酸的努力中减少他们对电磁场的暴露。

Remove/Reduce Screen Time

You can also reduce free glutamate through lifestyle changes such as reducing or eliminating screen time. As unlikely as it may seem, research does show that EMF's increase glutamate:

• "Extremely low frequency electromagnetic field exposure causes cognitive impairment associated with alteration of the glutamate level"
  
• "Variations of glutamate concentration within synaptic cleft in the presence of electromagnetic fields"
  
  

So, if you know that your child has issues with excess glutamate and screen time causes them to stim more, consider reducing their exposure to EMFs in your efforts to regulate excess glutamate.

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结论
Conclusion

总之，如果您的孩子表现出焦虑增加、自我刺激、不安或癫痫发作的症状，请考虑大脑中谷氨酸升高可能是原因。毕竟，减少游离谷氨酸是一个相对容易且低成本的干预措施，可以帮助消除这些症状，从而为您的孩子提供更好的生活质量。

In summary, if your child is displaying symptoms of increased anxiety, stimming, restlessness, or seizures, please consider elevated glutamate in the brain as a possible reason. After all, reducing free glutamate is a relatively easy and inexpensive intervention to help eliminate these symptoms, thereby offering a better quality of life for your child.