Copper-Containing Enzymes in Nerve Cells

How Nerve Cells Communicate

A single nerve cell consists of a cell body, several short branches, and one longer extension that carries electrical signals over sometimes considerable distances. At the end of this extension, the cell meets the next one, separated by a tiny gap: the synapse.

When an electrical signal reaches this gap, it is translated into a chemical signal: the cell releases a messenger substance that docks onto the neighboring cell and triggers a new electrical signal there. This alternation between electrical and chemical transmission repeats at every single synapse in the nervous system.

Both the formation of these messenger substances and the energy supply of the cells involved depend on a series of specialized enzymes. Some of these enzymes need copper as a fixed part of their structure — a connection that EFSA has reviewed and that the European Commission has given its own dedicated claim.

Copper, Dopamine and the Formation of Noradrenaline

An Enzyme With a Precise Task

In certain nerve cells, the messenger substance dopamine is converted by an enzyme called dopamine β-hydroxylase into a second messenger substance, noradrenaline. Both belong to the group of catecholamines and are held ready in small storage vesicles inside the cell.

The enzyme carries two copper ions in its catalytic center. During the reaction, these ions switch between two oxidation states and, in doing so, transfer an oxygen atom onto the dopamine molecule — the chemical step that turns dopamine into noradrenaline. Without enough copper, this conversion slows down measurably.

Where This Step Takes Place in the Body

This conversion takes place in specialized storage vesicles found in certain nerve cells of the central and peripheral nervous systems. These cells depend on a continuous fresh supply of noradrenaline, since the messenger substance is partly broken down and partly taken back up after release.

Cytochrome c Oxidase in Nerve Cells

The Copper-Containing Center of Cytochrome c Oxidase

Nerve cells are among the cells with the highest energy demand in the body. Restoring the electrical resting state after each signal, as well as transporting messenger substances, depends on a continuous supply of ATP, the cell’s universal energy molecule.

Most of that ATP comes from the mitochondria, generated along a multi-step chain of enzyme complexes. Sitting at the very end of that chain, cytochrome c oxidase holds two copper centers that carry out the last step: passing electrons onto oxygen, forming water and releasing the energy the cell then uses to assemble ATP.

Why Copper, Specifically, Is Needed Here

The two copper centers of cytochrome c oxidase handle different parts of the job: one accepts electrons from the enzyme complex before it in the chain, and the other passes them on to the oxygen molecule. Without enough copper, this final step slows down, which can have a knock-on effect on the whole chain.

Copper and the Substance of the Nerve Fiber

Many longer nerve fibers are wrapped in a multi-layered sheath, the myelin sheath, made up of repeatedly wound cell membranes. This sheath is continuously built up and remodeled throughout life. Several enzymes take part in this remodeling, some of which contain copper as a structural component.

The official wording itself describes only the reviewed overall outcome, without naming individual structures. The mention of the myelin sheath here serves only to provide scientific context, adding to the official wording without being part of the authorized claim itself.

Reference Value and Typical Copper Sources

Under EU Regulation 1169/2011, the reference value for daily copper intake is 1 mg for adults. This value is used mainly for food labeling and is not an individual dosage recommendation. The overview below shows how much different common foods contribute toward it:

Exactly how much of that a given food supplies also shifts with where it was grown, the soil, and how it was processed — so read the numbers above as a general picture rather than a lab measurement of any one product you buy.

What Else You Might Want to Know

Who Benefits From Reading This?

This article is written for adults who want to learn more about the EU-reviewed claim on copper and the nervous system. It does not, at any point, replace an individual medical assessment.

Is the Claim the Same for Men and Women?

The wording of the regulation does not name a specific gender; it refers to the adult population as a whole — men and women.

Does the Authorized Wording Name Dopamine β-Hydroxylase or Cytochrome c Oxidase?

No. The official wording records only the reviewed overall outcome, without naming individual enzymes or messenger substances. The two enzymes described on this page serve only to provide scientific context and are not themselves part of the claim.

Can This Article Stand In for a Doctor’s Visit?

No. This article summarizes legally reviewed information and does not replace an examination, diagnosis, or care from medical professionals.

What Happens if the Access Doesn’t Meet My Expectations?

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