ArticleThe Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience2008
Taurine is a potent activator of extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors in the thalamus.
Article in The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 98 papers.
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Who cites it
98 citing papers in PubMed, 169 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of 8-day oral taurine supplementation on thermoregulation during low-intensity exercise at fixed heat production in hot conditions of incremental humidity.European journal of applied physiology · 2024Trial
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- Effect of sleep deprivation on the human metabolome.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2014Trial
- Structure-Activity Relationship for Inflammasome Inhibition by Thiomuscimol.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Nutritional Interventions for Perimenopausal Anxiety and Depression Targeting Tryptophan and GABA Pathways: A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Tissue-dependent enzymatic control of N-acetyl-β-alanine by PTER.The Journal of biological chemistry · 2026Article
- Taurine-driven chemotaxis and metamorphosis in ascidian tadpole larvae.Science advances · 2026Article
- Taurine as an Early-Phase Disease-Modifying Candidate for Alzheimer's Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Cognitive Effects of Taurine and Related Sulphur-Containing Amino Acids: A Systematic Review of Human Trials and Considerations for Plant-Based Dietary Transitions.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- β-Alanine Is an Unexploited Neurotransmitter in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease.NeuroSci · 2026Review
- Effects of different doses of taurine supplementation on repeated-sprint performance after exhaustive exercise in a high temperature and humidity environment.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Article
- Effects of taurine, brimonidine and betaxolol on oscillation modulation and stimulation efficiency in degenerated rd10 mouse retinas.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Synthesis of versatile neuromodulatory molecules by a gut microbial glutamate decarboxylase.iScience · 2025Article
- Decoding the structural and functional diversity of GABAFrontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- Article
- Metabolomics study to reveal cognitive improvement with treatment of Scrophularia buergeriana.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- A PTER-dependent pathway of taurine metabolism linked to energy balance.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Neural Marker Expression in Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Grown in PEG-Based 3D Matrix Is Enhanced in the Presence of B27 and CultureOne Supplements.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Taurine supplementation enhances anaerobic power in elite speed skaters: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study.Biology of sport · 2023Article
38 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Taurine is one of the most abundant free amino acids in the brain. In a number of studies, taurine has been reported to activate glycine receptors (Gly-Rs) at moderate concentrations (> or = 100 microM), and to be a weak agonist at GABA(A) receptors (GABA(A)-Rs), which are usually activated at high concentrations (> or = 1 mM). In this study, we show that taurine reduced the excitability of thalamocortical relay neurons and activated both extrasynaptic GABA(A)-Rs and Gly-Rs in neurons in the mouse ventrobasal (VB) thalamus. Low concentrations of taurine (10-100 microM) decreased neuronal input resistance and firing frequency, and elicited a steady outward current under voltage clamp, but had no effects on fast inhibitory synaptic currents. Currents elicited by 50 microM taurine were abolished by gabazine, insensitive to midazolam, and partially blocked by 20 microM Zn2+, consistent with the pharmacological properties of extrasynaptic GABA(A)-Rs (alpha4beta2delta subtype) involved in tonic inhibition in the thalamus. Tonic inhibition was enhanced by an inhibitor of taurine transport, suggesting that taurine can act as an endogenous activator of these receptors. Taurine-evoked currents were absent in relay neurons from GABA(A)-R alpha4 subunit knock-out mice. The amplitude of the taurine current was larger in neurons from adult mice than juvenile mice. Taurine was a more potent agonist at recombinant alpha4beta2delta GABA(A)-Rs than at alpha1beta2gamma2 GABA(A)-Rs. We conclude that physiological concentrations of taurine can inhibit VB neurons via activation of extrasynaptic GABA(A)-Rs and that taurine may function as an endogenous regulator of excitability and network activity in the thalamus.
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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.