If your child is displaying symptoms of increased OCD, anxiety, stimming, restlessness, tics, inattention, or seizures, elevated glutamate may be an issue. This often-overlooked neurotransmitter plays a substantial role in brain function. But what happens when there’s too much of it?
This week, we’ll dive into common questions about glutamate – what it is, how it functions, what happens when your child has too much, and how to recognize high glutamate symptoms in children.
What is glutamate?
Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that carries messages in the brain. You hear much more about serotonin and dopamine than glutamate, but glutamate is actually the most prominent.
Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter – meaning that it excites (stimulates) a nerve cell, making it easier for chemical messages to move from one nerve cell to the next. In fact, glutamate is involved in more than 90% of all excitatory functions in the human brain.
High glutamate symptoms in children can include issues related to:
✔ Learning and memory
✔ Pain signals
✔ Sleep-wake cycles
✔ Relaxation
✔ Anxiety regulation
✔ Muscle function
✔ Gut Function
✔ Immunity
✔ Brain function
How does glutamate work?
When a message travels through the brain, glutamate is released into the fluid-filled space between nerve cells (synapse). Glutamate binds to specific message-receiving receptors on the next nerve cell and facilitates the transfer of the message from one nerve cell to the next.
It’s also used in making gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter known for its calming effect.
Too little glutamate results in poor communication between nerve cells. Too much glutamate can damage nerve cells, along with the communication network.
What happens when there’s too much glutamate?
Too much glutamate in the brain can cause nerve cells to become overexcited, earning it the name “excitotoxin”.
This excess of glutamate can result in excitotoxicity – the rapid overload of calcium into the cell, leading to high glutamate symptoms in children. This rapid influx of calcium is initiated when too much glutamate is present. This excess calcium can cause damage to brain cells.
Excitotoxicity from too much glutamate has been linked to OCD, autism, tic disorders, along with other mood and anxiety disorders.
Excitotoxicity can result from:
😕 Nerve cells releasing too much glutamate.
😕 Excess glutamate remaining in the synapse, leading to too many glutamate receptors being continuously activated and keeping the nerve cells continuously excited.
😕 Nerve cell receptors becoming oversensitive to glutamate – meaning that fewer glutamate molecules are needed to excite them.
I think my child’s glutamate may be high. What can I do?
In the next article, we’ll take a deep dive into how to find out if your child is experiencing glutamate excitotoxicity and what you can do about it, including tips on managing anxiety and tics in children.
In the meantime, you can start by eliminating some of the high glutamate foods from your child’s diet, a key step in managing anxiety and tics in many children.
Eliminating dietary sources of glutamate isn’t a problem even if your child’s levels are fine. Glutamate is a non-essential amino acid, meaning that your child’s body can create all it needs.
Glutamate is found primarily in processed food. In my private practice, I recommend a reduction (and eventual elimination) of processed foods.
You can start by avoiding foods with the following ingredients:
✖ MSG
✖ Aspartame
✖ Hydrolyzed proteins
Then, next time, we’ll do a deep dive into the food, supplement, and lifestyle changes that can make a big difference in your child’s glutamate levels – and their symptoms.
In the meantime, if you’re ready to get started, download my free Low Glutamate Meal Plan and Recipe Guide. Lowering glutamate in your child’s diet doesn’t have to be complicated. Get your free copy here.
If you’re interested in getting to the root of your child’s diagnosis and reversing symptoms for good, join me in my Foundations in Healing Jumpstart Program.
The Foundations Program is an 8-week live mentorship program designed to reverse the symptoms of neuroinflammation in children and young adults with PANS/PANDAS, autism, ADHD, and Lyme.
In addition to gaining access to my proven methodologies and proprietary knowledge, you will also be learning directly from me in an intimate group setting.
For more on the Jumpstart Mentorship program, click here.
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