How To Reduce Glutamate Exitotoxicity ToRedce hyperactivity?

Post Reply New Topic

So basically the is the neurotransmitter GABA, which is inhibitory (Benzodiazepines act on it's receprots) and there is Glutamate which is Exitatory. And it might sound like a complete stupid no brainer but if you have to much of the exitatory Glutamate at first you get super "clinically excited" and if you have too much you get seizures or your brains cells start to die (and you'll still be super duper clinically "excited" as it all happens). These too are supposed to balance out each other, which they do in healthy people, most of the time.
Apparently, ASD people have too much Glutamate. and therefore, we are screwed.
This study sais exactly that. >>GABAergic/glutamatergic imbalance relative to excessive neuroinflammation in autism spectrum disorders<<
It also sais that we have too much GABA. but I don't believe that does mean much. It's probably a reaction to too much Glutamate.

So IMO if we reduce Glutamate somehow, we would probably stop our agitation and flipping out and going crazy and having sensory overload and generally being overclocked to 10x our actual capacity. And we would probably stopping our braincells from dying. because Glutamate Exitotoxicity is exactly that. toxic. to the braincells.

I found one compound that would do exactly that. Vitamin C. Vitamin C neuroprotection against dose-dependent glutamate-induced neurodegeneration in the postnatal brain.
The study sais clearly that Vitamin C reduces brain Glutamate levels.

I'm taking large doses of vitamin C and I have less agitation and sensory overload. I also do not have the compulsion to think and analyse everything like crazy.

If you are aware of any substance, vitamin, pharmaceutical or alike that would do that better, please share.
Also if you have any farther Idea that could help I really would like to know.

how much is a lot of vitamin c?

Well, first you would have to prove a causal connection between glutamate intake and hyperactivity in yourself. The easiest way to do this is to reduce or remove all glutamic foods in your diet and measure your degree of hyperactivity. Then, if you have determined that there is indeed a causal connection, simply keep glutamic foods to a minimum or eliminate them from your diet entirely.

Glutamic foods include: Beans (including soy beans), beef, broccoli, cheese, chicken (all poultry), corn, eggs, fish (all kinds), garlic, grains, grapes (including raisins), legumes, milk (all dairy), mushrooms, onions, oysters (all shellfish), peanuts and peas (all legumes), pork, potatoes, tomatoes, and walnuts (all tree nuts).

NOTE: Before trying this, or any other change in your diet, consult a physician as to the proper way to do it.

You could first try to eliminate all of these from your diet for a few weeks and see if you are less hyperactive. If not, then your hyperactivity may not be related to glutamate. If so, then re-introduce them to your diet one at a time once each week until your hyperactivity returns.

If one particular food or food group increases your hyperactivity, then you may actually be allergic to that food or food group.

Disclaimer: I have no training in medicine or dieting. Try this method at your own risk.

I am not talking about Glutamate in food. I'm talking about endogenous glutamate produced by the brain itself. and the study proves that. The glutamate in food has absolutely nothing to do with all of this. if all of the glutamate in food would end of in your brain you would instantly DIE. the blood brain barrier stops the glutamate in food to end up in your brain AFAIK.

You would have to prove that your brain has an over-abundance of glutamate. Only a physician can provide this proof. Merely believing it to be so just because you've read a research paper on the topic does not prove that you have the condition.

Besides, so many things have been "linked" to autism after someone has "investigated" their pet theory on a few dozen people that it is hard to believe that yet one more "investigator" has found THE cause and cure. I'll wait for the results of the double-blind peer-review studies from a more reputable journal.

Consult a physician.

Well if we lived in a Disney cartoon were everyone could get tests worth thousands or tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands done just by going to his doctor and asking him, then I guess, you were right. These are not routine tests. these are tests only done in research. I don't even believe my doc knows what glutamate exitotoxicity is. I had to beg my GP to ultrasound my thyroid because I felt something. It was really hard to get him to do this.
So I do it another way. I ASSUME that because the study sais:
"Autistic patients exhibited glutamate excitotoxicity based on a much higher glutamate concentration in the autistic patients than in the control subjects."

AND

I very possibly have autism or asperger's

Then

It's possible that I might have Glutamate Exitotoxicity.

It's basically the only alternative that remains.
You have a point. but I'm not going to be tested in a million years unless I'm a millionair. so your point is not valid.
On the other hand, It's kinda stupid to withdraw myself from a rather harmless substance that is actually helping me tremendously because I can't get the proof. I don't want to prove anything to anybody. I want to have a life.

"I very possibly have ..." is not proof. Neither is mere belief.

Certainly, a single, self-affirming study requires vetting by independent researchers.

I was gonna say "placebo effect" but Fnord did a pretty good job of putting this story to rest.

Look, omid, if it works for you, well, that's great. Did you discuss any of this with your doctor? Vitamin C is excreted fairly rapidly so is less toxic than megadoses of some other vitamins, such as Vitamin A. However, the extra acid may have some gastrointestinal effects you should look out for.

One study or one person who believes something works for him should always be suspect. Life is seldom that simple.

Well, It's interesting that you think that way.
I didn't came to the forum and say "yeah guys see, I take vitamin C and I feel great" without any reason. It was not my Idea to advocate vitamin C. I don't care about vitamin C AT ALL.
I connected two studies. I tried to put up a hypothesis by connecting those two studies. and backed that by the positive effect of vitamin C on me.
What I'm trying to say is, and in my opinion and also the knowledge I have it makes a lot of sense, that apparently, and the study is saying it to, that glutamate exitotoxicity, which is implicated in many illnesses such as epilepsy, ALS, alzheimers, ischemic stroke or other kind of trauma to the brain and many other brain and neurological disorders/problems, could play a role in autism. And I see now reason why that study I posted should be wrong or a lie in any way.

But you guys do not read the studies, say that the study, which is actually very valid "should be reviewed", dismiss the vitamin C study, Say I should get a test done that I can't possibly do, and MISS THE WHOLE POINT.
Instead of being paranoid and restrictive, you could look at this idea as a possibility to come up with new ideas and elaborate and make something good out of it. If my idea is crap, come up with a better idea! a better target receptor maybe? bring it on. instead of arguing with me.
unless you think "autism is not a "problem" and instead of trying to make our life easier (eg. treating it) we should just haver about our daily problems and drown ourself in self pitty our whole lifes.

This is a definitively important paragraph from the discussion section of the experiment you cited Omid:

"The unexpected elevation of GABA as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in autistic patients with a high rate of onset of epilepsy could be explained on the basis that high plasma GABA could be concomitant with lower brain GABA due to a smaller number or dysfunctional neuronal GABA receptors."

Could, could.. could be right could be wrong. I wouldn't take too much notice of this study. What you get depends a lot on how you measure something. (And in science, the absence of evidence for something doesn't mean that something doesn't exist!)

The one NMDA (a receptor for glutamate) antagonist that you could get would be magnesium. The Mg++ ion likes to sit inside the pore of the ion channel, partially blocking the result of glutamate stimulating the receptors. As far as pharmaceuticals ketamine, memantine, and PCP are stronger NMDA antagonists. Obviously, the side effects of PCP leave something to be desired. Memantine has been, I think recently approved for treating Alzheimer's by reducing excitotoxicity (I think).

A doctor told me once, though, that there are parts of the brain that inhibit other parts, and so if you slow down a part of the brain that slows down another part then that other part will be more stimulated rather than less.

I.e. like antipsychotics tend to lower seizure threshold while also being sedating.