Pfeiffer C C, Braverman E R
Biol Psychiatry. 1982 Apr;17(4):513-32.
The total content of zinc in the adult human body averages almost 2 g. This is approximately half the total iron content and 10 to 15 times the total body copper. In the brain, zinc is with iron, the most concentrated metal. The highest levels of zinc are found in the hippocampus in synaptic vesicles, boutons, and mossy fibers. Zinc is also found in large concentrations in the choroid layer of the retina which is an extension of the brain. Zinc plays an important role in axonal and synaptic transmission and is necessary for nucleic acid metabolism and brain tubulin growth and phosphorylation. Lack of zinc has been implicated in impaired DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis during brain development. For these reasons, deficiency of zinc during pregnancy and lactation has been shown to be related to many congenital abnormalities of the nervous system in offspring. Furthermore, in children insufficient levels of zinc have been associated with lowered learning ability, apathy, lethargy, and mental retardation. Hyperactive children may be deficient in zinc and vitamin B-6 and have an excess of lead and copper. Alcoholism, schizophrenia, Wilson's disease, and Pick's disease are brain disorders dynamically related to zinc levels. Zinc has been employed with success to treat Wilson's disease, achrodermatitis enteropathica, and specific types of schizophrenia.
成人体内锌的总含量平均约为2克。这大约是铁总含量的一半，是体内铜总量的10至15倍。在大脑中，锌与铁一样，是含量最丰富的金属。锌含量最高的部位是海马体中的突触小泡、终扣和苔藓纤维。视网膜脉络膜层（大脑的延伸部分）中也含有大量的锌。锌在轴突和突触传递中起重要作用，是核酸代谢以及脑微管蛋白生长和磷酸化所必需的。锌缺乏与大脑发育过程中DNA、RNA和蛋白质合成受损有关。出于这些原因，孕期和哺乳期锌缺乏已被证明与后代许多先天性神经系统异常有关。此外，儿童锌水平不足与学习能力下降、冷漠、嗜睡和智力迟钝有关。多动症儿童可能缺锌和维生素B-6，且铅和铜含量过高。酗酒、精神分裂症、威尔逊氏病和皮克氏病都是与锌水平动态相关的脑部疾病。锌已成功用于治疗威尔逊氏病、肠病性肢端皮炎和特定类型的精神分裂症。
