related excitotoxicity in the brain, and the only FDA-
approved drug to extend life in ALS is also a glutamate-
modulating agent.)^3
GABA
GABA inhibits the brain’s overall level of excitation, and
you’re probably already familiar with how it feels to
modulate it. Anti-anxiety drugs enhance the effect of
GABA, as does alcohol, and both simultaneously inhibit
glutamate. The problem is, these drugs are highly addictive
and come with a host of consequences. The stimulating
effects of caffeine on the other hand are owed to its ability
to increase glutamate activity and inhibit GABA release.
Anxiety, panic attacks, palpitations, and insomnia are all
thought to manifest via dysfunction of the GABA system.
THE RISE OF THE “PSYCHOBIOTIC”
Scientists studying depression in mice have to be clever in
how they determine what constitutes depression, and one of
the many interesting ways to gauge the overall life
satisfaction of a mouse is called the forced swimming test.
Here’s how it works: mice are dropped into a tank filled
with water, where they immediately begin treading water
until they find something to latch on to. Mice that are
depressed tend to give up hope and allow themselves to sink
sooner than happy mice, who tread water for much longer—
this is interpreted as an increased motivation to live. As