General Monthly Meeting
The Effects of Chemicals on the Brain
Professor Graham Johnston Department of Pharmacology, Sydney University.
Date: Wednesday, 7th May, 2003
Time: 6:30 for 7:00 pm
Venue: Kirkham Room, Roseville College, 27 Bancroft Avenue, Roseville.
Plant flavonoids are considered to be important constituents of our diet because of their antioxidant properties and are linked to reduced incidence of many diseases, including cancer, heart disease and stroke. This has given rise to the concept of nutraceuticals and functional foods. Recent studies have shown that flavonoids may act also on important aspects of brain function. Two simple chemicals, glutamate and GABA, are responsible for most of the communication between nerve cells in the brain. Indeed at a very simple level, the brain may be thought of as a balance between excitation mediated by GABA. A subclass of flavonoids found in soy products also acts of GABA receptors. Some chemicals extracted from Ginkgo biloba, a herb used in cognitive therapy, also influence GABA receptors. Other chemicals from Valerian, a herm used to promote sleep, influence GABA in a different manner. These studies provide evidence that chemicals in our diet may influence brain function in a positive way. Are we about to enter an era of neuraceuticals.
Graham Johnston has been Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Sydney since 1980. He has a PhD in medicinal chemistry and has published 350 scientific papers on the role of amino acids in brain function. He has special interests in the development of new drugs to treat brain disorders including Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, and in understanding the effects of herbal medicines on brain function. He is a Member of the Order of Australia for services to bio organic chemistry and pharmacology, to scientific organisations and to science policy development.
Report on the General Monthly Meeting
by D.A. Craddock.
The May meeting of the Society was held at Roseville College, where the audience of 24 Members and guests heard an updated presentation of Professor Graham Johnston's 2002 Liversidge Lecture. As one of only a select few to have heard both the Liversidge Lecture and this one, it was pleasing to hear several of the research students asking questions as well as providing answers to some of those from others in the audience. The role of GABA (gama-aminobutyric acid) in many neurological disorders, such as analgesia, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, memory-related disorders and schizophrenia, was discussed in terms of various well-known substances. The subject matter of the lecture contained much promise for future medical treatments of such disorders. One comment about quality control of medicines provided a challenge and an opportunity to their regulation: quality control should be used to determine what the chemical does, rather than merely what it contains. The 33rd Liversidge Lecture "Dietary Chemicals and Brain Function" has been published in the current Journal of the Royal Society of New South Wales. The President, Ms Karina Kelly, who also thanked the Principal and staff of Roseville College for the use of their facility, offered the vote of thanks to Professor Johnston. The College also provided a welcome cup of tea and coffee as well as an assortment of biscuits, for which those in attendance were most grateful.