gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) is a short-chain fatty acid that occurs naturally in the mammalian brain and is formed primarily from the precursor gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The properties of GHB suggest that it has a neuromodulatory role in the brain and has the ability to induce several pharmacological and behavioral effects. GHB has been used clinically as an anesthetic and to treat alcoholism and narcolepsy. Furthermore, GHB has emerged recently as a major recreational drug of abuse. GHB appears to have dual mechanisms of action in the brain. Biochemical data suggest that the intrinsic neurobiological activity of GHB might be mediated through the GHB receptor, which is separate and distinct from the GABA(B) receptor. However, many of the pharmacological and clinical effects of exogenously administered GHB, including the properties of addiction, tolerance, withdrawal and intoxication, are probably mediated via the GABA(B) receptor, where GHB might act both directly as a partial agonist and indirectly through GHB-derived GABA.

中文翻译：

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从街道到大脑：休闲药物γ-羟基丁酸的神经生物学。

γ-羟基丁酸（GHB）是一种短链脂肪酸，天然存在于哺乳动物的大脑中，主要由前体γ-氨基丁酸（GABA）形成。GHB的性质表明，它在大脑中具有神经调节作用，并具有诱导多种药理和行为作用的能力。GHB已在临床上用作麻醉剂并用于治疗酒精中毒和发作性睡病。此外，GHB最近已成为一种主要的滥用休闲娱乐药物。GHB在大脑中似乎具有双重作用机制。生化数据表明，GHB的内在神经生物学活性可能是通过GHB受体介导的，该受体与GABA（B）受体是分开的且不同的。但是，外用GHB的许多药理和临床作用，