Aphanizomenon flos-aquae And The Nervous System Attention deficit disorder, Depression and Mood elevation

One of the most commonly reported benefits of eating the blue-green algae Aphanizomenon flos-aquae is an increase in concentration and attention and an elevation of mood. In clinical cases, AFA has been reported to alleviate depression and attention deficit disorder. Recently, it was discovered that AFA contains a significant concentration of phenylethylamine (PEA), an endogenous neuromodulating compound known to increase concentration, elevate mood and alleviate depression. PEA has been coined " the molecule of love. " Ancient Sun Nutrition has an extract called Blue Manna (Aphanin) that contains 5-7 mg/gram of PEA. The following is a series of abstracts from peer-reviewed scientific papers demonstrating the importance of dopamine transmission in attention and mood, and the role of PEA in enhancing dopamine transmission, thereby increasing attention, elevating mood and alleviating depression. Dopamine is one of the main transmitters responsible for the sensation of pleasure. Many compounds known to alleviate depression are known to enhance dopamine transmission. Dopamine is also associated with attention and concentration. • The dopaminergic and opioidergic reward pathways of the brain are critical for survival since they provide the pleasure drives for eating, love and reproduction; these are called 'natural rewards' and involve the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens and frontal lobes. However, the same release of dopamine and production of sensations of pleasure can be produced by 'unnatural rewards' such as alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, nicotine, marijuana, and other drugs, and by compulsive activities such as gambling, eating, and sex, and by risk taking behaviors. Since only a minority of individuals become addicted to these compounds or behaviors, it is reasonable to ask what factors distinguish those who do become addicted from those who do not. It has usually been assumed that these behaviors are entirely voluntary and that environmental factors play the major role; however, since all of these behaviors have a significant genetic component, the presence of one or more variant genes presumably act as risk factors for these behaviors. Since the primary neurotransmitter of the reward pathway is dopamine, genes for dopamine synthesis, degradation, receptors, and transporters are reasonable candidates. However, serotonin, norepinephrine, GABA, opioid, and cannabinoid neurons all modify dopamine metabolism and dopamine neurons. We have proposed that defects in various combinations of the genes for these neurotransmitters result in a Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) and that such individuals are at risk for abuse of the unnatural rewards. Because of its …