Seizure threshold and excess dietary amino acids

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Abstract
This series of experiments demonstrates an association between feeding diets containing excess single amino acids (DL-phenylalanine, DL-methionine, and L-tyrosine) and increased susceptibility to experimentally induced seizures in the rat. The extent to which seizure threshold is lowered is proportional to the amount of amino acid supplementation for methione and phenylalanine. The increased excitability can be induced only before the age of about 60 days in the rat. Animals that have demonstrated an increased susceptibility to seizure induction associated with phenylalanine supplementation lose this increased excitability at about 60 days of age in spite of continued diet supplement. Seizure threshold that has been lowered in association with phenylalanine supplementation can be rapidly returned to a level conparable with control animals when the excess amino acid is removed from the diet. Body weight alone does not appear to be the critical variable. The results are discussed briefly in terms of possible metabolic mechanisms involved.