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Transport of Taurine in the Central Nervous System

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Transport Phenomena in the Nervous System

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 69))

Abstract

Taurine, 2-aminoethanesulphonic acid, is present in brain tissue in millimolar concentrations44; however, taurine levels show considerable differences in different mammalian species38 and at different developmental stages37. The physiological role of taurine, apart from its conjugation with bile acids, is virtually obscure. However, more and more attention has been paid to its possible function in electrically excitable tissues, such as brain, retina, heart or muscle. Taurine inhibits the spontaneous firing of some central synapses with a potency equal to that of γ-aminobutyric acid8,17 and affects the excitability of cardiac muscle46, 58. Some authors are therefore inclined to consider taurine one of the inhibitory neurotransmitters10, 29, 42

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Tampere, Finland

    S. S. Oja, P. Kontro & P. Lähdesmäki

  2. Department of Biochemistry, University of Oulu, Finland

    S. S. Oja, P. Kontro & P. Lähdesmäki

Authors
  1. S. S. Oja
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  2. P. Kontro
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  3. P. Lähdesmäki
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Council, Rome, Italy

    Giulio Levi

  2. University of Padua Medical School, Padua, Italy

    Leontino Battistin

  3. Research Institute of Neurochemistry, New York, New York, USA

    Abel Lajtha

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© 1976 Plenum Press, New York

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Oja, S.S., Kontro, P., Lähdesmäki, P. (1976). Transport of Taurine in the Central Nervous System. In: Levi, G., Battistin, L., Lajtha, A. (eds) Transport Phenomena in the Nervous System. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 69. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-3264-0_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-3264-0_18

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