When glutamate is too high and GABA levels are too low, as is the case with fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, symptoms like hyperalgesia, anxiety, restlessness, brain fog, insomnia, mental exhaustion, and low energy can occur or worsen.
Decreased GABA activity may contribute to: Anxiety and mood disorders. Schizophrenia. Autism spectrum disorder.
Too much excitatory activity without adequate GABA inhibition can lead to symptoms such as restlessness, irritability, difficulty sleeping, and more. GABA's job is to produce relaxation, analgesia and sleep.
GABA deficiency may play a role in disorders like insomnia or anxiety. However, GABA deficiency is not a condition that you can test for and correct with a supplement. There is no blood test to measure GABA deficiency.
Testing for GABA Deficiency
There are no blood tests available that assess GABA deficiency. The highest concentrations of GABA are found in cerebrospinal fluid, which requires an invasive procedure called a lumbar spinal tap to measure the fluid.
GABA-transaminase deficiency is a brain disease (encephalopathy) that begins in infancy. Babies with this disorder have recurrent seizures (epilepsy), uncontrolled limb movements (choreoathetosis), exaggerated reflexes (hyperreflexia), weak muscle tone (hypotonia), and excessive sleepiness (hypersomnolence).
GABA plays an important role in behavior, cognition, and the body's response to stress. Research suggests that GABA helps to control fear and anxiety when neurons become overexcited. Lower-than-normal levels of GABA in the brain have been linked to schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders.
Research shows that Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) may play a key role in protecting against depression and anxiety. A review published in the journal Neuropharmacology concluded that people with anxiety and depression are more likely to have low levels of GABA.
A minimum of 3-6 months is required to restore neurotransmitter levels to normal. However, it takes longer to restore the body's total store of neurotransmitters. If a patient stops the neurotransmitter therapy too quickly, they may experience a return of their original symptoms.
GABA calms us during the day, and at night, turns off our body and mind so we can rest and rejuvenate. Some physical signs of a GABA deficiency could include: Trembling, tremors, twitching, feeling shaky. Restlessness.
Some authors found one of the highest contents on GABA to be 414 nmol/g of dry weight in raw spinach, followed by Solanum tuberosum L. (that is, potato), Ipomoea batatas L. (that is, sweet potato), and Brassica oleracea L. (that is, cruciferous such as kale and broccoli).
DYSREGULATION in brain γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neuronal function might contribute to the pathophysiology of human panic disorder. For example, lowered brain GABA levels are associated with anxietylike behaviors in animals,%1,2 and elevated brain GABA levels tend to be associated with anxiolysis.
Consuming foods rich in glutamic acid, which helps create GABA in the brain, is a quick and easy way to increase and maintain proper GABA levels. These are foods like citrus fruits and bananas, or certain nuts like almonds and walnuts.
Taurine is an amino acid found throughout the human body. Taurine has been found to activate GABA receptors and encourage the release of GABA. Herbs such as passionflower and valerian root have been shown to increase GABA in studies.
Anxiety disorders.
The HPA axis is associated with stress, so chronic overactivity of the HPA axis contributed in part by GABA is associated with pathologic stress, depression, and anxiety. Patients with disorders of anxiety have reduced response to benzodiazepines and downregulated GABA release.
The hypothalamus works to maintain homeostasis in your body by controlling your pituitary gland and nervous system to regulate sleep, appetite, body temperature and HPA-axis function. Hypothalamus-related problems like adrenal fatigue can often be traced back to underlying GABA dysfunctions.
High levels may reflect decreased ability to convert to succinate for use in the Krebs (citric acid) cycle for energy generation. Cofactors here are α-KG and vitamin B6. GABA is elevated in sleep apnea, ovarian cancer, and is suspected in anxiety, foggy thinking, and lethargy.
Magnesium stimulates the activity of cerebral GABAergic systems by behaving as a modulator of GABA receptors, increasing their activity.
Many neuropathic pain conditions are associated with reduced synaptic inhibition, such as occurs with a decreased GABA level, since GABA is a key inhibitory neurotransmitter in the GABAergic transmission.
Some drugs contain substances that boost the action of GABA. Gabapentin and valproate, for example, indirectly enhance the action of GABA in the body.
Two potential medications that may restore GABAA receptor function are the gabapentinoids (Figure 5) and muscimol (MML) (Figure 14). Since gabapentinoids increase extrasynaptic GABA levels and block Ca2+ channel activity, more GABA is available to bind to extrasynaptic receptors.
Intense exercise increases levels of two common neurotransmitters -- glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA -- that are responsible for chemical messaging within the brain.
Side Effects
Some people have reported tingling on the surface of the skin for a few minutes after the intake of GABA. This may be likened to the well- known “niacin flush.” GABA may also induce a slight shortness of breath, which is also transient and is experienced by a small percentage of people.