Four Na+ -dependent transporters of neutral amino acids (NAA) are known to exist in the abluminal membranes (brain side) of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This article describes the kinetic characteristics of systems A, ASC, and N that, together with the recently described Na+ -dependent system for large NAA (Na+ -LNAA), provide a basis for understanding the functional organization of the BBB. ...

N-acetylaspartate (NAA) is an amino acid abundant in the brain and claimed the role of a biomarker of neuropsychiatric disorders. The basic ways of NAA concentration measurement in the brain are magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and chromatography. The review examined the relationship between NAA concentrations in different parts of the brain and biological...

We review how polyreactive natural IgM autoantibodies (IgM-NAA) protect the host from invading micro-organisms and host neo-antigens that are constantly being produced by oxidation mechanisms and cell apoptosis. Second, we discuss how IgM-NAA and IgM anti-leukocyte antibodies (IgM-ALA) inhibits autoimmune inflammation by anti-idiotypic mechanisms, enhancing removal of apoptotic cells, masking n...

To the Editor—We thank Dr. Dylewski [1] for the feedback on our article [2]. It is understood that the usefulness of nucleic acid amplification (NAA) tests varies with the prevalence of the disease among the population being tested. In our article, we do not advocate NAA testing for all specimens submitted for culture. For patients whose specimens have negative acid–fast bacilli (AFB) smear res...

Demyelination and axonal degeneration caused by multiple sclerosis (MS) exist in the white matter and not only in the lesion area. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) could provide a unique insight into metabolic changes in the normal appearing white matter (NAWM). To evaluate the subtle axonal degeneration and delineate the spatial distribution of metabolite abnormalities in the NAWM in pati...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to use Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) to investigate whether patients with chronic schizophrenia have different brain metabolite levels in the temporal cortex and thalamus than drug-naive first-episode patients. METHOD We compared right-handed male first-episode patients (n=13) and chronic schizophrenic cases (n=15) with gender- and handedness-matche...