Study Finds GABA Supplementation Improves Decision Making

by | Jan 4, 2016 | 2015, Brain Health, Gaba

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. 30 study participants significantly improved their reaction time in certain stop action tasks and computer tasks 30 minutes after taking 800 mg of GABA. 

Gamma-amino butyric acid, known as GABA, is a nerve chemical in the brain (neurotransmitter). It has been found to “play an important role” in decision-making by affecting motor control (1, 2) reaction time (3, 4) and motor learning (5, 6). As a result, in theory, supplementing with GABA would be expected to improve motor control, reaction time, and learning. But whether or not GABA can pass through the tightly-sealed blood-brain barrier is a matter of controversy (7, 8).

Now a new study (9) suggests that synthetic GABA can pass through the blood-brain barrier and improve brain function regarding reaction time and learning. The study involved 30 subjects (1 male, 29 females) between the ages of 18 and 22. They were given either 800 milligrams GABA in 200 milliliters of orange juice or a placebo (800 mg of microcrystalline cellulose in 200 mL orange juice). Thirty minutes later (as that’s when GABA blood levels peak after supplementation (10)), each subject completed a decision-making test on a computer (11), with reaction times measured during the test.

The researchers noted a significant improvement in several aspects of reaction time in the GABA group compared to the control group. Specifically, those in the GABA group had a 25.4% better reaction time in stopping a certain task (236 versus 316 milliseconds, p < 0.05) as well as taking 22.8% less time to stop a task and then change to another task (991 versus 1283 ms, p < 0.05). These results indicate not only that synthetic GABA passed the blood brain barrier, but that the 800 milligram supplement was sufficient to improve brain function.

While the researchers admit their study provides “the first evidence for a possible causal role” of GABA supplementation in improving brain function, they acknowledge “an important limitation” of the small number of subjects and admit the need for “further studies in order to verify the reliability and repeatability of our findings in larger samples that are balanced for gender.”

Source: Steenbergen, Laura, et al. “γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration improves action selection processes: a randomised controlled trial.” Scientific reports 5 (2015): 12770.

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Posted September 3, 2015.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.

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