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The authors would particularly like to thank Ralph Noeske for supporting the MEGA-PRESS sequence, and we are grateful to all the participants who took part in this study. We thank Sarah Rindlisbacher, Julia Rüegsegger, Fabia Colombo and Isabelle Fischer for data acquisition and data entry.

Finally, we express our gratitude to Dr. Steffen Bollmann for his highly valued support in the technical setup of the study. Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Bern, , Bern 60, Switzerland.

Unit of Psychiatry Research, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Cardinal-Journet Villars-sur-Glâne, Fribourg, Switzerland.

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Correspondence to Gregor Hasler. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.

Reprints and permissions. Association between prefrontal glutamine levels and neuroticism determined using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Transl Psychiatry 9 , Download citation. Received : 12 October Revised : 23 April Accepted : 29 April Published : 18 June Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:.

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nature translational psychiatry articles article. Download PDF. Subjects Molecular neuroscience Prognostic markers. Abstract There is growing evidence for GABA and glutamate—glutamine dysfunction in the pathogenesis of mood and anxiety disorders.

Introduction Glutamate and GABA are the major excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the human brain, respectively.

Subjects and methods Subjects Subjects were recruited using advertisements in local newspapers as well as university blackboard webpages as part of a large ongoing neuroimaging study. Table 1 Clinical characteristics of the study sample Full size table. Table 2 Associations between personality characteristics and left DLPFC glutamine Full size table.

MR images showing the position of the DLPFC voxel. Full size image. Discussion In this study, we demonstrated that glutamine concentrations in the left DLPFC were associated with neuroticism and trait anxiety.

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The bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain, known as the gut-brain axis , plays a vital role in the human body. The vagus nerve , the tenth cranial nerve, facilitates this communication via the enteric nervous system. Optimal brain function may promote optimal gut function, and vice versa.

In this interconnected relationship, L-glutamine may play a unique role in supporting this communication. During periods of physical stress e. Stress, whether acute or chronic, can disrupt gut health, mental health, and L-glutamine status in the body. L-glutamine, the most abundant amino acid in the body, is conditionally essential.

Although the body can typically synthesize sufficient amounts of L-glutamine for overall health, stress increases the demand for L-glutamine, requiring exogenous sources from food or supplementation. L-glutamine can be obtained from various foods in the modern diet, including beef, pork, milk, cheese, cabbage, parsley, and spinach.

However, supplements may be warranted for certain individuals with unhealthy stress responses if these foods are not part of their regular diet.

For instance, consuming 15 ounces of beef provides only 5 g of L-glutamine. L-glutamine has demonstrated multiple clinical benefits for gut health , such as promoting enterocyte function and proliferation, maintaining a healthy gut microbial environment, supporting gut barrier integrity and function, and regulating inflammatory and immune responses.

By supporting intestinal health and a balanced gut microbiome, L-glutamine may help promote mental health by way of the gut-brain axis. While additional research is needed, a healthy gut microbial environment and proper intestinal function may promote healthy brain development and neurotransmitter production.

Serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, gamma-aminobutyric acid GABA , acetylcholine, histamine, and glutamate are among the neurotransmitters that may be positively affected by healthy gut barrier function and microbial balance. Gut health may also promote proper hormonal balance through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis HPA axis , according to a preliminary study in healthy infants.

Stress or perceived threats activate the HPA axis to secrete various hormones, including cortisol. This system may be dysregulated in major psychiatric disorders or states of chronic stress. Therefore, focusing on gut health may be clinically beneficial in supporting a healthy HPA axis. Lastly, L-glutamine further supports mental health by serving as a precursor to the neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate.

Poor gut health can disrupt neurotransmitter balance, which can affect overall mood and mental health. The amino acid L-glutamine has the potential to simultaneously support gut health and mental health.