ReviewNeurochemical research2003
N-acetylaspartate in the vertebrate brain: metabolism and function.
Review in Neurochemical research, 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 145 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
145 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 390 citations in OpenAlex.
- Magnetic resonance spectroscopy with transcranial direct current stimulation to explore the underlying biochemical and physiological mechanism of the human brain: A systematic review.Human brain mapping · 2021Pooled it
- Mitochondrial dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Molecular psychiatry · 2012Pooled it
- 7TNeuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2018Trial
- Assessing neurotoxicity from the low-dose radiation component of radiosurgery using magnetic resonance spectroscopy.Neuro-oncology · 2010Trial
- Cell-free DNA methylation profiling reveals injury types and severities in swine rotational and contusional models of traumatic brain injury.Acta neuropathologica communications · 2026Article
- The Emerging Role of N-Acetylaspartate in Cancer.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Research progress on biomarkers of traumatic brain injury.Animal models and experimental medicine · 2026Review
- Loss of Kv8.2 in the Mouse Retina Is Associated With Altered One-Carbon Metabolism.Journal of neurochemistry · 2026Article
- Comprehensive metabolic profiling across five lifespan stages in murine hippocampus and cortex reveals sex-related variation in age-related cognitive decline.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Article
- Circulating N-Acetylaspartate Levels Associate with Measures of Peripheral and Tissue-Specific Insulin Sensitivity.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Decoupling of Neurochemical and White Matter Microstructural Integrity in Posterior Cingulate Cortex Predicts Early Alzheimer's Disease Progression.Neurochemical research · 2025Article
- Dynamic alterations of depressive-like behaviors, gut microbiome, and fecal metabolome in social defeat stress mice.Translational psychiatry · 2025Article
- Alcohol-Induced Changes in Brain Microstructure: Uncovering Novel Pathophysiological Mechanisms of AUD Using Translational DTI in Humans and Rodents.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2025Review
- Toluene Toxicity in the Brain: From Cellular Targets to Molecular Mechanisms.Annual review of pharmacology and toxicology · 2025Review
- Exploring the Morphological Study of the Brain in Patients with Bipolar Disorder Based on Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2025Article
- N-acetylaspartate mitigates pro-inflammatory responses in microglial cells by intersecting lipid metabolism and acetylation processes.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2024Article
- Article
- Fibroblast growth factor 21 alleviates diabetes-induced cognitive decline.Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) · 2024Article
- Transient neonatal hyperglycemia induces metabolic shifts in the rat hippocampus: aMetabolic brain disease · 2023Article
85 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
N-Acetyl-L-aspartate (NAA) is an amino acid that is present in the vertebrate brain. Its concentration is one of the highest of all free amino acids and, although NAA is synthesized and stored primarily in neurons, it cannot be hydrolyzed in these cells. Furthermore, neuronal NAA is dynamic and turns over more than once each day by virtue of its continuous efflux, in a regulated intercompartmental cycling via extracellular fluids, between neurons and a second compartment in oligodendrocytes. The metabolism of NAA, between its anabolic compartment in neurons and its catabolic compartment in oligodendrocytes, and its possible physiological role in the brain has been the subject of much speculation. There are two human inborn errors in metabolism of NAA. One is Canavan disease (CD), in which there is a buildup of NAA (hyperacetylaspartia) and associated spongiform leukodystrophy, caused by a lack of aspartoacylase activity. The other is a singular human case of lack of NAA (hypoacetylaspartia), where the enzyme that synthesizes NAA is apparently absent. There are two animal models currently available for studies of CD. One is a rat with a natural deletion of the catabolic enzyme, and the other a gene knockout mouse. In addition to the presence of NAA in neurons, its prominence in 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic studies has led to its wide use in diagnostic human medicine as both an indicator of brain pathology and of disease progression in a variety of CNS diseases. In this review, various hypotheses regarding the metabolism of NAA and its possible role in the CNS are evaluated. Based on this analysis, it is concluded that although NAA may have several functions in the CNS, an important role of the NAA intercompartmental system is osmoregulatory, and in this role it may be the primary mechanism for the removal of intracellular water, against a water gradient, from myelinated neurons.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.