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Previous Volume 352:2721-2732 June 30, 2005 Number 26 Next

-Hydroxybutyric Acid

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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The short-chain fatty acid -hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) was synthesized in 1960 in an attempt to create an analogue of the ubiquitous inhibitory brain neurotransmitter -aminobutyric acid (GABA) that would cross the blood–brain barrier.¹ GHB turned out to have sedative properties similar to those that had been reported for -butyrolactone 13 years earlier.² In fact, -butyrolactone has since been shown to be biologically inactive,^3,4 since all its biologic and behavioral effects are due to its rapid conversion to GHB by an active lactonase.⁵ Although GHB has found limited clinical use as an anesthetic agent^6,7,8 and in the treatment of narcolepsy⁹ and . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Neuropharmacologic Features

Metabolism and Neuromodulatory Properties

GHB Receptors

GABA Receptors

GHB and GABA_B Receptors

Toxicity, Abuse, Addiction, and Withdrawal

GHB Toxicity

GHB Abuse

GHB Addiction

GHB Withdrawal

GHB-Facilitated Sexual Assault

Putative Mechanisms of Action

Future Directions

Source Information

From the Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, and the Division of Neurology and the Brain and Behavior Research Program, Hospital for Sick Children — both in Toronto (O.C.S.); and the Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland (K.M.G.).

Address reprint requests to Dr. Snead at the Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada, or at csnead@sickkids.ca.

Related Letters:

-Hydroxybutyric Acid
Sass J. O., Superti-Furga A., Ringel E. R., Addolorato G., Gasbarrini G., Zvosec D. L., Smith S. W.
Extract | Full Text | PDF  
N Engl J Med 2005; 353:1632-1633, Oct 13, 2005. Correspondence

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