Glutamic acid
Glutamate is also a neurotransmitter (see below), which makes it one of the most abundant molecules in the brain. Malignant brain tumors known as glioma or glioblastoma exploit this phenomenon by using glutamate as an energy source, especially when these tumors become more dependent on glutamate due to mutations in the gene "IDH1".
Nidopallium
The entire nidopallium region is a compelling area for neuroscientific research, especially in relation to its capacity for complex cognitive function. More specifically, the nidopallium caudolateral appears particularly involved with the aspect of executive function in the avian brain. One study has been performed to demonstrate that this area is in fact largely analogous to the mammalian prefrontal cortex - the region of the brain covering the most rostral section of the frontal lobe, responsible for more complex cognitive behaviour in mammals, such as ourselves. The experiment sought to measure the densities of various neurotransmitter receptors in both the avian NCL and the human prefrontal cortex, using quantitative in-vitro receptor autoradiography. It was found that the NCL contained lower absolute quantities of these neuronal receptors. However, the experiment also revealed that the relative densities of these receptors in both organisms were surprisingly similar. With this, there is the possible implication that the capability for such sophisticated mental processes in these structures is reliant on the receptor architecture of the neurons which comprise them. So despite the nidopallium and prefrontal cortex having evolved separately (an educated assumption), both have achieved similar functions of higher order thought processes via convergent evolution, as a result of influences at the molecular level.