Health & Body - T-HCA: a molecular probe unlocking brain receptor signaling

In laboratory research, scientists study brain chemistry using specialized chemical analogues. One such compound is trans-4-hydroxycrotonic acid, or T-HCA, an active metabolite naturally found in the mammalian central nervous system. T-HCA binds to high-affinity GHB receptors four times more strongly than GHB itself. Because it activates these specific receptors without binding to GABA-B receptors, it does not produce sedation. Researchers utilize it to investigate how receptor activation triggers glutamate release in the hippocampus.

Source: Wikipedia