Ever wonder what fuels your thoughts, emotions, and executive functions? These incredible messengers, neurotransmitters, are responsible for the nervous coordination of mood and memory, harmonizing your mind and body and ensuring you navigate each day with ease and energy.
What are neurotransmitters?
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that transmit signals from one nerve cell to the next target cell, which could be a gland, muscle cell, or another nerve cell. They are synonymous with the mail carriers in a country’s postal service and are critical in facilitating communication within the body’s intricate network of cells and tissues.
“Neurotransmitters are released by neurons that send signals to trigger the release of compounds from the neuron,” says Samuel A. Neuhut, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist at HCA Florida Aventura Hospital. Common examples are serotonin and dopamine, which regulate various physiological processes.” Scientists have discovered over 100 neurotransmitters and more.
How neurotransmitters work
Neurotransmitters are simple molecules synthesized from precursor nerve cells and stored in small vesicles ready for action. When an electrical signal, or action potential, reaches the end of a nerve cell, it triggers the release of these neurotransmitters into the space between two neurons, called the synaptic cleft.
Once released, neurotransmitters attach to receptors on the target cell. Depending on the type of neurotransmitter and receptor involved, this connection can have an excitatory, inhibitory, or modulatory effect, leading to a new electrical signal, changes in how cells function, or adjustments in various bodily processes. After exerting their action, neurotransmitters are either reabsorbed by the nerve cell, broken down by enzymes, or drift away via a diffusion process, ensuring the nervous system runs smoothly.
Functions and types of neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters are vital in regulating various bodily functions, including heart rate, breathing, sleep cycles, digestion, mood, concentration, appetite, and muscle movement. Notably, health experts have associated imbalances in neurotransmitter levels with neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease. Some of the significant neurotransmitters include:
Acetylcholine:
This neurotransmitter is crucial for muscle activation, allowing muscles to contract and move. It also plays a significant role in memory formation and learning processes by enhancing the connections between neurons.
Dopamine:
Dopamine, known as the “feel-good” neurotransmitter, is involved in the brain’s reward and pleasure centers and influences motivation and satisfaction.
Serotonin:
This neurotransmitter is key in regulating mood, helping to maintain emotional balance and prevent depression. Serotonin also influences appetite, controlling hunger and satiety, and plays a role in the sleep-wake cycle by affecting the onset and quality of sleep.
Norepinephrine:
Often referred to as noradrenaline, this neurotransmitter is involved in the body’s “fight-or-flight” response, increasing blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels during stressful situations. It also enhances attention and arousal, helping to keep you focused and alert.
GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid):
GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. It promotes relaxation, reduces neuronal excitability, and prevents overstimulation.
Endorphins:
These neurotransmitters act as the body’s natural painkillers, reducing pain perception and promoting pleasure and well-being. Endorphins are often released during exercise, stress, and pain, contributing to the phenomenon known as “runner’s high” and helping to alleviate discomfort.
To naturally enhance neurotransmitter production, Dr. Neuhut recommends incorporating certain lifestyle habits into your routine. “Regular exercise, soaking up in sunlight, fostering social connections, and consuming a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can all boost neurotransmitter levels in your brain,” he says.
