Antidepressive properties of I-glutamine. Preliminary report.

A brief review of the literature on this topic, and a comparison of the results obtained in children by administrating l-glutamine with those obtained by other antidepressive drugs, is primarily presented. Having been tested in a sampler of 43 adults, affected by different forms of depressive, neurasthenic and dissociative illnesses, 1-glutamine is indicated as owning clear anti-depressive properties, and the asthenia as target-symptom for its therapeutical use. Out of the endogenous depression with slowed-down motor activity, indeed good results were found in all cases, in which a "vital" level had been reached by the illness. Since 1-glutamine is noticed being a precursor of GABA, this fact itself could explain its antidepressive properties, but it is necessary to remember that they very complex metabolism of the drug is still mostly unknown.