Sodium (the major chemical component in table salt) has the potential to significantly alter brain activity. Scientists at McGill University found that sodium can switch an important receptor on and off. The receptor--known as a kainate receptor--is important for brain functions and alterations in kainate activity have been linked to neurological disorders like epilepsy. In new research published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, the researchers found that sodium binds to an alternate site on the kainate receptor and controls the receptors ability to bind to its normal ligand. This binding site appears to be unique to kainate receptors, which gives scientists the ability to create drugs to only alter kainate activity and thus have fewer side effects.
Source: http://www.mcgill.ca/research/channels/news/new-role-sodium-brain-229946
Very interesting, thank you both for sharing your information. I had always wondered how sodium chloride (table salt) affects pathways and receptors in the brain.
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