€ 180
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Glutamate necklace | 18K gold vermeil
Learning a word, recognizing a face, remembering where the keys are: most of the signals between neurons that make it possible are carried by one small molecule. This glutamate necklace in 18K gold vermeil is a gift for the neuroscientist, neurologist or psychiatrist in your life, or for anyone who studies how memory works.
Who It's For
- a neuroscientist, on the day she defends her PhD
- a neurologist or psychiatrist, when she finishes her residency
- a neuroscience or pharmacology student, when her exams are behind her
- someone who wears the GABA necklace in gold vermeil and would like the other half of the balance
- yourself, if gold vermeil is what you wear every day
Why the Glutamate in Food Barely Reaches Your Brain
Glutamate is in tomatoes, parmesan, soy sauce and the MSG on a restaurant table. It is also the brain's main excitatory messenger, the signal that tells the next neuron to fire. So how does the brain keep its own signal apart from what is on the plate? Most of the glutamate you eat never gets past the gut, because the cells lining the intestine use most of it as fuel. The little that reaches the blood meets the blood-brain barrier, which lets almost none through and actively pumps glutamate out of the brain. Neurons make their own from glucose and glutamine instead, and keep it packed in tiny vesicles until the moment they release it.
Explore Related Molecules Jewelry
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FAQ
How big is the pendant, and what chain comes with it?
The pendant is 28 mm (about 1.1 inches), a little larger than a 2-euro coin. It hangs from a single loop at the top and sits just below the collarbone. The chain is 45 cm (17.7 inches) of gold vermeil with a lobster clasp and a 5 cm (2 inch) extender. 18K gold vermeil means 2.5 microns of 18K gold over solid sterling silver, nickel-free and hypoallergenic.
Is there a silver version?
Yes. The glutamate necklace also comes in sterling silver, at the same 28 mm on the same 45 cm chain with a 5 cm extender, and sits just below the collarbone in the same way. Choose the finish the recipient already wears: the design is the same in both.
Is delivery free, and what if it isn't right?
Yes. DHL Express delivers free in 1-5 business days worldwide, and we pay the import duties and taxes, so nothing is due at the door. It arrives in a ready-to-gift jewelry box and festive envelope. If it isn't right, our 30-day “Love It or Return It” policy applies.
Why did it take so long to accept glutamate as a neurotransmitter?
Because it was everywhere. In 1954 the Japanese physiologist Takashi Hayashi reported that glutamate applied to the brain of dogs and monkeys set off seizures. In 1959 David Curtis, John Phillis and Jeffrey Watkins in Canberra showed that it excites nerve cells in the spinal cord. But every cell uses glutamate to build proteins, so even the Canberra team doubted something so common could carry a precise signal. Only in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when drugs that block its receptors were found, did most scientists accept it.
Molecules
Delve into the hidden elegance of science with our meticulously crafted jewelry, inspired by the intricate structures of chemical molecules. Each piece serves as a tactile tribute to the building blocks of life and matter, capturing the allure of atoms and bonds in precious metals. A harmonious fusion of art and science, these creations are more than mere accessories; they're a celebration of the enigmatic beauty that underpins our universe.
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