The Science

While neurotransmitter testing is relatively new in United States, introduced here in the last five years, it was originated and developed in Germany some 15 years ago.  Over this period of time, normative data has been established and our analyses are measured by this standard.  This unique method of testing allows experts in the field to create protocols utilizing proven amino acids regiments.  For many patients amino acid therapy is the "missing puzzle piece" that they have been searching for.

Based on the German technology for testing neurotransmitter in the urine this science examines the correlation between peripheral levels of neurotransmitters and the brain. The neurotransmitters that are produced in the brain require the same amino acid precursors and enzymes for synthesis as they do in the body.  Based on this connection urinary neurotransmitters give us a reflection of neurotransmitter imbalances that can result in symptoms and conditions such as depressions, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, headaches, migraines, fatigue, weight issues, insomnia, memory problems, and chronic pain.

Neurotransmitter Testing and Amino Acids

Neurotransmitters:  Relationship to Trauma and Attachment

Personalized Amino Acid Therapy

History of Amino Acid Therapy

What is Amino Acid Therapy?

Why We Need Amino Acids

 

Neurotransmitter Testing & Amino Acids

NEUROTRANSMITTERS are the brain chemicals that communicate information throughout our brain and body.  They relay signals between nerve cells, called “neurons.”  The brain uses neurotransmitters to tell your heart to beat, your lungs to breathe, and your stomach to digest.  They can also affect mood, sleep, concentration, weight, and can cause adverse symptoms when they are out of balance. Neurotransmitter levels can be depleted many ways.  As a matter of fact, it is estimated that 86% of Americans have suboptimal neurotransmitter levels.  Stress, poor diet, neurotoxins, genetic predisposition, drug (prescription and recreational), alcohol and caffeine usage can cause these levels to be out of optimal range.

There are two kinds of neurotransmitters – INHIBITORY and EXCITATORY.  Excitatory neurotransmitters are not necessarily exciting – they are what stimulate the brain.  Those that calm the brain and help create balance are called inhibitory.  Inhibitory neurotransmitters balance mood and are easily depleted when the excitatory neurotransmitters are overactive. 

Inhibitory Neurotransmitters

SEROTONIN is an inhibitory neurotransmitter – which means that it does not stimulate the brain.  Adequate amounts of serotonin are necessary for a stable mood and to balance any excessive excitatory (stimulating) neurotransmitter firing in the brain.  If you use stimulant medications or caffeine in your daily regimen – it can cause a depletion of serotonin over time.  Serotonin also regulates many other processes such as carbohydrate cravings, sleep cycle, pain control and appropriate digestion.  Low serotonin levels are also associated with decreased immune system function.

GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that is often referred to as “nature’s VALIUM-like substance”.  When GABA is out of range (high or low excretion values), it is likely that an excitatory neurotransmitter is firing too often in the brain.  GABA will be sent out to attempt to balance this stimulating over-firing.

DOPAMINE is a special neurotransmitter because it is considered to be both excitatory and inhibitory.  Dopamine helps with depression as well as focus, which you will read about in the excitatory section.

Excitatory Neurotransmitters

DOPAMINE is our main focus neurotransmitter.  When dopamine is either elevated or low – we can have focus issues such as not remembering where we put our keys, forgetting what a paragraph said when we just finished reading it or simply daydreaming and not being able to stay on task.  Dopamine is also responsible for our drive or desire to get things done – or motivation.  Stimulants such as medications for ADD/ADHD and caffeine cause dopamine to be pushed into the synapse so that focus is improved.  Unfortunately, stimulating dopamine consistently can cause a depletion of dopamine over time.

NOREPINEPHRINE is an excitatory neurotransmitter that is responsible for stimulatory processes in the body.  Norepinephrine helps to make epinephrine as well.  This neurotransmitter can cause ANXIETY at elevated excretion levels as well as some “MOOD DAMPENING” effects.  Low levels of norepinephrine are associated with LOW ENERGY, DECREASED FOCUS ability and sleep cycle problems.

EPINEPHRINE is an excitatory neurotransmitter that is reflective of stress.  This neurotransmitter will often be elevated when ADHD like symptoms are present.  Long term STRESS or INSOMNIA can cause epinephrine levels to be depleted (low).  Epinephrine also regulates HEART RATE and BLOOD PRESSURE.

Neurotransmitters:  Relationship to Trauma and Attachment

Attachment is one of the most important aspects of a child’s development; it is the essential factor in shaping their minds through interactions. Early deprivation, abuse, trauma, and dysfunctional attachment can disrupt a child’s brain development; thus their production and management of neurotransmitters.  Research on abused and neglected children has indicated the devastating effects of maltreatment on the child’s growing brain; smaller brain size, decreased growth of the corpus callosum (connects the right and left sides of the brain) and impaired growth of inhibitory neurotransmitters, including GABA, that serve to calm the excitable emotional limbic structures.  This is seen in brain imaging studies and through neurotransmitter testing. Even after children are introduced into safe and loving homes, the disrupted neurochemistry is still present. 

Neurotransmitter levels are a blueprint for a child’s mood, behavior, and overall functioning.  Continual research has shown that our early years create our brain's destiny; as relationships with parent’s changes so do the children’s attachment. This means it is never too late to create a positive change in a child’s life.  Through regulating neurotransmitter levels the ability to create a healthy bond with parents becomes much more feasible.

Inhibitory Neurotransmitters and Trauma

TRUAMA Inhibitory neurotransmitters are developed in infancy and over time especially through touch and having ones needs met; a baby cries to be fed, he is held and receives the milk he needs.  However with neglect, wrongful touch, malnourishment, or being present for traumatic events, can sends mixed messages to the brain; therefore it is unable develop an optimal amount of these inhibitory neurotransmitters.  This often leads to the inability for one to control their responses from excitatory neurotransmitters and contributes to children living in a state of fear and/or hyper-vigilance.

Excitatory Neurotransmitters and Trauma

TRAUMA Children who endured neglect or traumas have utilized these neurotransmitters in order to get their needs met.  This is a survival method, to be the loudest child in the orphanage, use aggression to fight off those that were hurting them, or stay awake in fear of the unknown.  The child's inhibitory neurotransmitters were not fully developed and they are now running on excitatory neurotransmitters; this can be seen in the inability to calm down, and is indicative of the inability to develop proper inhibitory support.

Personalized Amino Acid Therapy

Amino acid therapy is a term used to describe the use of supplemental amino acids to help balance brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) and other aspects of the physiology. For this type of treatment to be most effective, it should include a specialized urinalysis test which provides a reliable means of measuring excretory values for neurotransmitters. From those findings an individualized protocol of amino acid supplementation is devised to improve the quantity and ratios of neurotransmitters in the brain.

How to Determine the Right Protocol for You

The first step is to identify where your neurotransmitter levels are now. This is where the Neurogistics Brain Wellness Program starts. The components include:

• A simple in-home urine lab test for a specialized neurotransmitter analysis
• A phone assessment with our Clinical Assessment Director Emily Roberts M.A. to gather background information and current issues
• A personalized Brain Wellness Report containing everything you need to know to get started and progress on your program
• Neurogistics highly targeted amino acid supplements formulated specifically for The Neurogistics Brain Wellness Program;
• Progress Monitoring, our successful program designed to help you get the most from your personalized protocol;
• Consults with Neurogistics Certified Practitioners when required or as a support at any time during your program.

The History of Amino Acid Therapy

There is a long, well documented, history of using amino acids for depression and other issues related to brain chemistry imbalances.  Discovered in the early 1900s, amino acids were used up to the late 1980s as the physician’s mainstay for treating these types of conditions.  While the advent of pharmaceutical medications all but eliminated this natural treatment option from the allopathic repertoire, amino acids have continued to be a popular option for complementary / alternative medicine modalities and an essential for those seeking natural methods for brain chemistry balancing.

What are Amino Acids?

Amino acids are the breakdown products of proteins, some of which are not readily available in diet and need to be supplemented in a concentrated form.  They are the building blocks of proteins.  Proteins play a very important role in maintaining our health and make up a big part of the diet. The three main macronutrients found in food include carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Proteins are required in our diet, as they are an important building block of muscle and brain tissue.

Amino acids, derived from protein intake, are precursors to brain chemicals such as serotonin, a natural anti-depressant-like chemical produced in the brain. Serotonin requires the amino acid tryptophan, found in foods such as turkey, for its production. Without the proper amino acids in our diet, our brains can become depleted of these crucial chemicals, otherwise known as neurotransmitters.  Neurotransmitter depletion can not only lead to depression, it is also connected with insomnia, Attention Deficit Disorder, anxiety, memory loss, weight gain and addictive disorders (See Table 1 below).

Can’t You Get Amino Acids From Food?

The amino acid profile of various proteins varies greatly. Foods that contains protein, whether they are vegetarian or animal in origin, contain different combinations of amino acids. While we do need to keep up our overall daily intake of protein in order to maintain our health, proper neurotransmitter balance cannot always be achieved through diet alone. Protein intake increases the level of amino acids circulating around in the blood stream. Once proteins are broken down into amino acids by the digestive system, they are then released into the blood stream. In order for these amino acids to be taken up into the brain, they have to be carried across the blood-brain barrier using a specific transport system. This transport system will not help to correct amino acid imbalances within the brain. For example, if you have become depleted in serotonin because of high stress, dietary deficiencies or other lifestyle factors, the tryptophan uptake will not increase in any capacity across the blood-brain barrier.

Why We Need Amino Acid Supplements

So, how can we increase the amount of serotonin in the brain utilizing tryptophan as a precursor?  The answer lies in the timing of supplementation.  Between meals, the levels of circulating amino acids in the bloodstream decreases. By supplementing with an individual amino acid when one is between meals, we are allowing that particular amino acid to become more available to be taken up by the transporter at the blood-brain barrier. Once the amino acid is taken up in the brain, it can then be used for neurotransmitter production.

Amino acid therapy is often used to help address many of the symptoms listed in Table 1.  Each neurotransmitter has a specific amino acid, which is required for its synthesis and plays a particular role within the brain and body.

Table 1:  Amino Acid Precursors

Since each of us has a unique neurotransmitter profile, your recommended supplements in any program should be specific to your imbalances.  While single amino acids can work to balance the brain, using this method often requires several different products and should also include mineral cofactors, vitamins and a high quality omega-3 fatty acid.  Neurogistics protocols incorporate your individual requirements and provide a program of highly targeted amino acids specific to your imbalances.  All of your brain nutrient needs are combined into a few products making it easy and convenient to buy and use.  Individual protocols can make the difference when based on proven testing methods.

Restoring neurotransmitter levels and achieving your correct balance can have a profoundly positive effect on issues like depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, headache, migraines, memory, focus, chronic pain and more. You just need an expert to determine what protocol is right for you.