What issues arise from excess Glutamine?

What issues arise from excess Glutamine?

• A. Insomnia
• B. Brain damage after strokes
• C. Parkinson's disease
• D. Anxiety

Answer: (B)

Excess glutamine in the brain is most problematic because it sits inside astrocytes and pulls water in, causing swelling (cerebral edema). This happens when ammonia levels are high and the brain converts ammonia to glutamine to detoxify it. The swollen astrocytes disrupt brain function, and in the setting of a stroke—where blood flow and energy supply are already compromised—this edema worsens brain injury and can lead to damage. So the issue tied to excess glutamine is brain damage from edema after a stroke. The other options don’t fit this mechanism as directly; while sleep, anxiety, or Parkinson’s disease involve brain chemistry, they aren’t the typical immediate consequences of excess brain glutamine in the context described.

Excess glutamine in the brain is most problematic because it sits inside astrocytes and pulls water in, causing swelling (cerebral edema). This happens when ammonia levels are high and the brain converts ammonia to glutamine to detoxify it. The swollen astrocytes disrupt brain function, and in the setting of a stroke—where blood flow and energy supply are already compromised—this edema worsens brain injury and can lead to damage. So the issue tied to excess glutamine is brain damage from edema after a stroke.

The other options don’t fit this mechanism as directly; while sleep, anxiety, or Parkinson’s disease involve brain chemistry, they aren’t the typical immediate consequences of excess brain glutamine in the context described.