monoamine oxidase

American  

noun

Biochemistry.

1. a copper-containing enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of monoamines. MAO

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monoamine oxidase British  

noun

1.  MAO.  biochem an enzyme present in nerve tissue that is responsible for the inactivation of neurotransmitters

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Etymology

Origin of monoamine oxidase

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Ingested on its own, it has no effect on humans, because it is rapidly degraded by an enzyme in the gut, monoamine oxidase.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 5, 2016

One gene that has been linked to violence regulates the production of the monoamine oxidase A enzyme, which controls the amount of serotonin in the brain.

From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2011

Those with high-active monoamine oxidase A genes were virtually immune to the effects of mistreatment.

From Time Magazine Archive

The energizer drugs are technically called monoamine-oxidase inhibitors because they seem to work as antagonists to the enzyme, monoamine oxidase, which destroys some of the amines essential to normal brain function.

From Time Magazine Archive

By inhibiting the action of monoamine oxidase, drugs like iproniazid let neurotransmitters circulate and keep stimulating neurons longer than they normally would.

From Time Magazine Archive