The Intraspinal Distribution of Some Depressant Amino Acids

Abstract— —Six known depressant amino acids were found in extracts of feline spinal grey matter: α‐alanine, cystathionine, GABA, glycine, serine and taurine. Of these, glycine has the distribution within the nervous system anticipated of a sub‐stance whose main function is as a spinal inhibitory transmitter at strychnine‐sensitive synapses, GABA being a likely transmitter candidate at any strychnine‐insensitive spinal inhibitory synapses. The intraspinal distributions of α‐alanine, cystathionine, serine and taurine reveal little to indicate that a synaptic role is a major function of these amino acids.