Role of Gluatathione in psychoneurobiology

As our understanding of the brain has evolved, we have begun to appreciate the intricate interweave of psychiatry, neurology and biochemistry. These fields have overlapped and melded into psychoneurobiology, an integrated medical science that has already yielded important advances in the recognition and treatment of many brain disorders. Free radicals and oxyradicals have been recognized by psychoneuro-biologists as playing an important role in the development and progression of many of these disorders. The brain is particularly susceptible to free radical attack because it generates more oxidative by-products per gram of tissue than any other organ. The brain's main antioxidant is glutathioneit's importance cannot be overstated. Oxidative stress and glutathione are important factors in such various disorders as brain injury, neurodegenerative disease, schizophrenia, Down syndrome and other pathologies dealt with here and in other chapters. A more complete list is shown in figure 4o. Psychosocial stress has also been shown to increase oxidative stress. An interesting experiment studying lipid peroxidation levels in older people, some of whom practiced transcendental meditation, showed that meditators suffered less stress and suffered significantly lower levels of lipid peroxidation.

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