Glycine (neurotransmitter): What It Is And How It Acts On The Body
Neurotransmitters are a set of chemicals that the neurons in our brain and the rest of our nervous system use to communicate with each other.
However, not all neurotransmitters have the same effect on our body or on the cells and organs that make it up. For example, the neurotransmitter known as glycine has specific effects on specific receptors, while other substances, such as dopamine or serotonin, affect other regions and produce other psychophysiological repercussions.
In this specific article we will see What is glycine and what are the characteristics of this neurotransmitter and amino acid?
As much as the human brain is the set of organs from which the ability to think rationally arises, the truth is that its functioning is not rational at all. For example, neurons, which are perhaps the most important type of cells in this part of the body, function thanks to neurotransmitters, chemical particles that usually circulate throughout the body in a rather uncontrolled manner.
In all this chaos of neurotransmitters, our body is capable of minimizing the effects of unpredictability and taking advantage of the existence of cells that react when a certain amount of a type of neurotransmitter reaches them, regardless of whether it has been generated near or far or whether It has always circulated through the nervous system or been outside of it.
Glycine, for example, is a neurotransmitter thanks to which neurons can communicate with each other, but it is also an amino acid from which proteins are created. Without changing its shape and properties, this element can be used both to help create and regenerate tissues or cell components and to act as a chemical communication bridge between nerve cells.
as amino acid
In its role as an amino acid, glycine is the smallest amino acid of those that can be found throughout the human body.
Its structure is very simple, and in fact it can be synthesized by the body itself, something that does not happen with essential amino acids. It is not necessary to ingest doses of glycine by incorporating foods that contain them into our diet.
as a neurotransmitter
Glycine is released into the bloodstream and begins to circulate through this medium until it crosses the blood-brain barrier and accesses the interior of the central nervous system It is in this space that its work as a neurotransmitter is carried out.
Once within the context of the nervous system, glycine circulates until it is inserted into certain receptors. This combination makes glycine act as a “key” that triggers certain biological processes. But… what exactly is the mechanism of action of this substance?
The mechanism of action
Glycine has a specific class of receptor that only responds to the presence of this substance. This is the GLyR type receptor. Once this fit has occurred, several valves in the neuron in which the receptor is located begin to work so that Chloride ions enter the interior of this nerve cell
This generates a chain response that, depending on the circumstances in which the neuron is found, causes or does not produce a depolarization stage, which causes an electrical impulse to travel throughout the cell until its effects reach other crevices. synaptic (the spaces in which neurons communicate with each other).
The functions of glycine
Regarding the different processes that glycine carries out on neurons, the main ones are the following.
1. Regulation of motor behavior
Glycine, along with other neurotransmitters, intervenes in the regulation of movements ensuring muscle tone is maintained and that muscle groups can be coordinated to perform coherent actions.
2. Regenerates tissues
Glycine is found throughout practically the entire body, contributing to the development and regeneration of cellular tissues thanks to its action as an amino acid
3. It has inhibitory effects on the brain
Like other neurotransmitters such as GABA, glycine acts in certain areas of the brain, helping us enter a state of relative calm, that is, absence of stress. Thanks to this effect, glycine makes it relatively difficult to enter a state of nervous hyperarousal
However, this does not mean that wisteria makes us drowsy.
4. Contributes to the fluidity of cognition
It is believed that the secretion of glycine helps cognitive functions develop more efficiently For example, remembering or making decisions become more spontaneous and easier to perform, perhaps in part because the absence of excessive stress makes planning when guiding these functions easier.
