Abstract
In contemporary society characterized by high stress and an aging population, nutritional neuroscience has become a highlighted field for maintenance of health and longevity. Humans are exposed to various kinds of stressors from birth to death, and these affect body metabolism, endocrine function, neuronal function, and the central nervous system and immune system. Brain metabolism and function are acutely regulated by nutrient availability in the diet, because many pathways of brain nutrient metabolism are controlled by precursor availability in the brain. Availability of nutrients to brain cells is influenced by the concentration of nutrients in plasma, and by the rate of nutrient transport through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Brain function also affected by food components. We have been examining the effects of nutrition, stress, and certain types of diseases on brain amino acid metabolism, protein synthesis and certain forms of behavior such as appetite, sleep, mood, memory-learning ability, performance and motor activity. If treatments that modify central neurotransmission can produce changes in brain function and behavior, then there is every reason to anticipate that at least some nutrients-those that affect neurotransmitter synthesis-will also prove to be behaviorally active. The formation and release of a number of brain neurotransmitters-among them acetylcholine, serotonin and catecholamines-have been shown to depend on the brain levels of their precursor molecules (choline, and the amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine). This knowledge is related to fundamental studies aimed at maintenance of health, and is expected to lead to the development of new physiologically functional foods.
