Revealed - How sodium affects your brain

It took scientists 40 years to unlock the mysterious effect sodium has on key brain cell receptors.

By: Agencies | | Published: January 14, 2014 10:09 am

It took scientists 40 years to unlock the mysterious effect sodium has on key brain cell receptors. Also Read - What happens to your body when you eat too much salt

They have now discovered how sodium influences the signalling of opioid receptors – a major class of brain cell receptors – paving the way for new therapies to treat a host of brain-related conditions. Also Read - Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: 4 reasons an eco-friendly Ganesha is good for you

‘It opens the door to understand opioid-related drugs to treat pain and mood disorders, among others,’ said lead author Gustavo Fenalti, a postdoctoral fellow at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in California, US. Also Read - 7 reasons why the #BeefBan is good

‘This discovery has helped us decipher a 40-year-old mystery about sodium’s control of opioid receptors,’ said pharmacologist Professor Bryan Roth from University of North Carolina.

‘It is amazing to know how sodium sits right in the middle of the receptor as a co-factor or allosteric modulator,’ Roth said in the study that appeared in the journal Nature.

The team constructed a novel version of one of the main opioid receptors in the human brain, known as the delta opioid receptor.

After X-ray crystallography, they revealed the receptor’s 3D atomic structure to a very high resolution.

‘Such a high resolution was really necessary to be able to understand in detail how the receptor works,’ said Stevens.

The slipped in a sodium ion in the opioid receptor. The team was able to identify the crucial amino acids that hold the sodium ion in place and transmit its signal-modulating effect.

‘We found that the presence of the sodium ion holds the receptor protein in a shape that gives it a different affinity for its corresponding neurotransmitter peptides,’ Fenalti said.

With the structural data in hand, the researchers designed new versions of the receptor, in which key sodium-site amino-acids were mutated.

They found that certain amino-acid changes cause radical shifts in the receptor’s normal signalling response.

In practical terms, these findings suggests a number of ways in which new drugs could target these receptors, said the study.

Opioid receptors are activated by peptide neurotransmitters in the brain.

They can also be activated by plant-derived and synthetic drugs that mimic these peptides – like morphine, codeine, oxycodone and heroin.

Sodium is best known to biologists as one of the key ‘electrolytes’ needed for the basic workings of cells.

Source: IANS

For more articles, visit our Diseases and Conditions Section and for videos check out our YouTube Channel. Don’t miss out on the latest updates. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.

Published : January 14, 2014 10:09 am

Read Disclaimer

India to be certified 'polio-free' by the WHO in february

New radiation therapy boon for head, neck cancer patients

About The health Site

TheHealthSite.com is India's largest health site with more than 40 lakh unique visitors per month. We focus on fitness, beauty, health, pregnancy and more.

Most popular health and wellness website in India in 2012 at the Website of the year awards.

health@corp.india.com

+91 – 22 – 6697 1234

91 – 22 – 2490 0302.

ZEE ENTERTAINMENT ENTERPRISES LTD, 18th floor, A-Wing, Marathon Futurex, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013.

We respect your privacy

India to be certified 'polio-free' by the WHO in february

New radiation therapy boon for head, neck cancer patients

Traumatic brain injury can increase risk of Alzheimer's disease: Tips to avoid head injuries

Sedative drugs, curb on family visits may increase risk of acute brain dysfunction in Covid-19 ICU patients

Brain cancer could be triggered by the healing process that follows a stroke or other brain injury: Study

New drug-delivery system opens possibilities for treatment of numerous neurological disorders

Genes linked to common brain disorder, Chiari 1 malformation, identified

About The health Site

Useful Links