The NeuroPharmacology of Copper (Copper and Neurotransmitters / Release) Copper Mechanism of Action in the Brain

Copper (Cu) is an essential trace mineral and common metal whose ions permeate the blood-brain-barrier and exert multiple actions on receptors and brain proteins...

• Copper (Cu) acts to noncompetitively inhibit/antagonize/block NMDA-Glutamate Receptor Currents. (1)
• Copper plays a primary role along with Ascorbic Acid in converting Dopamine --> Norepinephrine. (2)
• Copper stimulates the Adrenal Gland's. (3)
• Copper augments Acetylcholine activity. (4)

Copper-dependent regulation of NMDA receptors by cellular prion protein: implications for neurodegenerative disorders

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3382327/

Copper deficiency alters rat dopamine beta-monooxygenase mRNA and activity.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10573542

Effect of antipsychotic drugs on the gene expression of NMDA receptor subunits in rats.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9051657

Role of copper in human neurological disorders

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/3/855S.full

• Copper and Copper Proteins in Parkinson's Disease

1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3941957/

Effect of ascorbic acid administration on copper-induced changes of rat brain hypothalamic catecholamine contents.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3407385

Analysis of Copper and Zinc Plasma Concentration and the Efficacy of Zinc Therapy in Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) and Autism

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3235993/

Effect of dietary copper deficiency on the distribution of dopamine and norepinephrine in mice and rats.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15539197

Copper modulation of NMDA responses in mouse and rat cultured hippocampal neurons.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8950090