N-acetyl-aspartate
N-Acetylaspartate, or N-acetylaspartic acid, is a
derivative of aspartic acid and the most concentrated molecule in the brain
after the amino acid glutamate. N-acetyl-aspartate
is synthesized in neurons from the amino acid aspartate
and acetyl-coenzyme A.
N-acetyl-aspartate role in
brain tissue
N-Acetylaspartate functions in the brain as a
source of acetate for lipid and myelin synthesis in oligodendrocytes, the glial
cells that myelinate neuronal axons and a contributor to energy production from
the amino acid glutamate in neuronal mitochondria.
N-acetyl-aspartate levels in
brain related to obesity
Middle-aged people who are overweight or obese have
lower levels of N-acetyl-aspartate and brain chemicals that signal good brain
health and function. Dr. Stefan Gazdzinski of the San Francisco VA Medical
Center looked at magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans from 50 healthy
middle-aged men and women, measuring amounts of a variety of chemicals in the
white and gray matter of the brain.
Five of the study participants were obese, 15 were overweight, and the remaining
30 were normal weight.
The higher a person's body mass index (BMI),
the lower the concentration of N-acetyl-aspartate, a brain chemical that
serves several functions and also acts as a marker for overall brain health, in
the white matter of the brain's frontal, temporal and parietal regions. Heavier
people also had less N-acetyl-aspartate in their frontal gray matter, and lower concentrations
of choline-containing metabolite -- substances key to the formation of cell
membranes--in their frontal white matter. The data didn't allow Dr. Stefan Gazdzinski
to determine if the brain abnormalities might be related to body fat alone or if
it suggests other health problems, nutrition, or sedentary living. Annals of Neurology, published online April 11, 2008.
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