Cysticercosis is a sickness caused by ingesting the tapeworms found in pork. When tapeworm larvae spreads to the human brain, it is a very serious problem resulting in a condition referred to as neurocysticercosis. If a tapeworm infestation problem exists, there are medications sold over-the-counter for this problem.
Glutamate. Glutamate is an excitatory relative of GABA. It is the most common neurotransmitter in the central nervous system-as much as half of all neurons in the brain-and is especially important in regards to memory. Curiously, glutamate is actually toxic to neurons, and an excess will kill them.
L-glutamate is a substrate for the enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) which catalyzes the decarboxylation of L-glutamate to make gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). L-Glycine and GABA are inhibitory neurotransmitters and L-glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter. Understand the similarities and differences between receptors for excitatory and inhibitory amino acid neurotransmitters in terms of: mechanism of action (ligand-gated ion channels), subunit composition, and hydropathy profiles.