Countering Brain Chemical Could Prevent Suicides

Current research suggests that a chemical in the brain called glutamate is directly linked to suicidal behavior. This offers new possibilities, especially hope for suicide prevention efforts. Michigan State's Lena Brundin and an international team of investigators posted in their science journal, Neuropsychopharmacology. They seemed to have found that glutamate is more more active in brains of people who attempt suicide. This chemical is an amino-acid that send signals between nerve cells, it has been a primary suspect in the search for depression causing chemicals.
"There's been a lot of focus on another neurotransmitter called serotonin for about 40 years now. The conclusion from our paper is that we need to turn some of that focus to glutamate." said Brundin. In the meantime anti-glutamate drugs are still in development. Soon, this could offer a key too preventing suicide in the future. An anesthetic called ketamine inhibits glutamate signaling, but it's side effects keep its from being used today. Brundin also says inflammation in the brain is primary in showing that suicidal behavior may be triggered.  This inflammation comes from a buildup of quinolinic acid buildup in patients spines in a study that perfromed. It is important they continue and eventually finalize their experiments so we can help society with this problem.  Glutamate research linked to suicide

The purple arrows represent where glutamate pathways are located.