Ways that foods can affect the brain

摘要

The mechanism by which brain neurons send signals to other cells involves the release of particular chemicals, neurotransmitters, that are produced in and released from each neuron's myriad terminals. About 30 or 40 compounds have been identified that seem to function as neurotransmitters somewhere in the brain. In general, each of these compounds can be released from many distinct groups of brain neurons which are distinguished by the locations of their cell bodies and terminals, and which subserve different functions. It appears that the rates at which some of the neurotransmitters are synthesized, and the quantities of them that are released, normally vary in non-malnourished individuals, depending upon the composition of the food that has most recently been eaten. These changes in neurotransmitters release can also be associated with functional and behavioral consequences, thereby allowing one's nutritional state to affect one's behavior. This paper discusses the particular transmitters that are nutrient-dependent; the processes that couple food consumption to neurotransmitter synthesis; and some of the consequences of this coupling.