Get Your Neurotransmitters in Candy Form

is it possible to buy GABA in chewing gum or in candy in the States?

I think it's "GABA-GABA-hey" -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabba_Gabba_Hey

You could put the page through Google's Japanese translator:

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ezaki-glico.ne…

Heh. "It will be relieved with the chocolate".

Ooh, Glico's the company that makes the always-delicious and sometimes-weird Pocky (Men's Pocky?). Maybe they'll make GABA Pocky!

Dee-Dee

Indeed it is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQct-4OlkKg

Hottest PHD student ever. Oh, and you can delete me, because the comment was still totally worth it.

> [...] get funded, get a PhD, and stay sane.

hahaha....

well, you know the old saying: choose two and move on with your life.

...meh

GABA definitely does make it to the peripheral bloodstream, if you tried a modest dose it would be obvious, and I believe peripheral GABA receptors could still have some relaxing effects. It is now also speculated that high oral doses of GABA do cross the BBB (or at least small amounts get through, so high doses have more significant effects).

Although I must say, I don't know where they come across marketing GABA as candy. If you ever smelled the stuff in pure form, it smells like sweaty socks or cheese puffs (I always thought the two things smelled similar.) It doesn't taste very good either. Theyd've been better off marketing low dose L-Theanine containing candy.

Effect of acute and repeated administration of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) on growth hormone and prolactin secretion in man.

GABA definitely does make it to the peripheral bloodstream

Really! I stand corrected and 10x more excited about getting my hands on some!

However, I doubt that this candy would be in the quantities required to cross the BBB....

What about GABA in cigarettes? Introduced to the lung would provide a near-direct entry into the blood stream, and in large doses may cross the BBB. :)

Yum, where can I get some cheese puffs?

"What about GABA in cigarettes? Introduced to the lung would provide a near-direct entry into the blood stream, and in large doses may cross the BBB."

I don't know if you are referring to making cigarettes with added GABA, or saying that GABA is already in cigarettes. If there are traces of GABA in cigarettes, I'd assume they are just that. As far as attempting to smoke/vaporize amino acids such as GABA, I'm not sure you can smoke or vaporize them, their structure would probably break down under the heat. Even if you could, it still wouldn't get into the BBB.

GABA does get into the blood stream, it just doesn't cross the BBB, probably because the molecule is too large. Substances with a molecular weight higher than 500 daltons (500 u) generally cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, while smaller molecules often can.

GABA, Serotonin, Dopamine, all are probably absorbed into the blood stream when consumed orally, but they won't cross the BBB and will remain in the periphery. There are, however, peripheral receptors for all of those neurotransmitters, but mostly you would just experience adverse effects by consuming them (except GABA, given its inherently inhibitory nature).

Dopamine is used as an inotropic drug in patients with shock to increase cardiac output and blood pressure. It does not however, produce a dopaminergic effect on the central nervous system (unless you injected it directly into the brain, or used some method of temporary opening up the BBB wide enough to let it pass, like injection of mannitol, although opening up the BBB is generally a BAD idea!)

This is why L-DOPA (dopamine precursor) in conjunction with an AAAD (Aromatic amino acid decarboxylase) inhibitor is administered for therapy of parkinsons, instead of dopamine.

If you want to try some GABA just buy some! I have a 100 gram container (got it for like $5) sitting on my desk, sometimes I take ~5 grams in water before sleep when I need a sleep aid, it's quite noticeable, although it definitely doesn't feel as centrally-acting as a gabaergic drug. You can buy it at health stores and on the internet.

Didn't mean to be a party-pooper. If you wanted to increase the novelty-factor of consuming it, you could aways make a gaba-shake or something hehe

On the subject of CNS-modulating food/candy products, what I've been wanting to locate, is L-Theanine containing chewing gum that supposedly is sold in Japan. Theanine is an amino acid found in small amounts in green tea that does cross the BBB. They also supposedly manufacture soft drinks spiked with it to induce relaxation.

Theanine works and tastes better than GABA, I've had both! Supposedly theanine has the "umami" taste of MSG. It has been shown to promote alpha waves (meditative state) in the brain. May also modulate dopamine, gaba, and other neurotransmitters (conflicting research). It definitely chills me out without making me tired, and I can't stand consuming caffeinated things without it now. It is said that green tea is less jittery than coffee because it contains theanine.

Wikipedia on L-Theanine

Place to buy good quality cheap L-Theanine (no affiliation)

Just make sure it doesn't also include MSG... ;^)

(For that yummy excitotoxic glutamate feeling...)

Even though I do read Japanese, I've never had the inclination to study the Glico site.

You might be interested to know that there are plenty of GABA products on the market in Japan, at least one of which, VAAM, has a two-syllable taste beginning in vaam...

Sports drinks and amino acid drinks abound. I sometimes take a swig of Amino Suppli +9, myself.

Phenibut is what knowledgeable people take when they want a dose of GABA. The addition of a phenyl group make the GABA pass the BBB more readily.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenibut