The Role of Neurotransmitters in Mental

Health
Posted on December 17, 2011 by Glyn Blackett
Mainstream medicine views mental and neurological disorders in terms of neurocemical
imbalances, and attem!ts to correct tese using medications" #or e$am!le de!ression is
seen as a serotonin imbalance, and te most common class of anti%de!ressants &''()s*
target te serotonin network" +eter or not de!ression really is a serotonin imbalance is
a matter of controversy, but at least we can agree it would be a ste! forward if we ad a
means of ob,ectively assessing te individual-s serotonin status, or te likeliood of
''()s actually working &tey don-t work for everybody*" .t !resent tere is no reliable
lab test tat can do tis" /f course tere-s a lot more to o!timal brain functioning tan
cemistry, but it does seem to be an im!ortant !art of te wole"
)n my last !ost ) mentioned te work of Dr Dan .men, a neuro!syciatrist wo uses
'P012 brain imaging to classify is !atients- varieties of de!ression, an$iety, .D3D"
3is classification is ten te basis for is coice of treatment &not ,ust medications but
natural tera!ies too*"
2is seems like a real ste! forward to me" 1an 00G assessment be used in a similar way
4 as a sort of !oor man-s 'P012 scan5 2ere certainly seems to be te !otential 4 indeed
Dr .men used 00G before moving to 'P012"
2e value of any assessment is in directing te coice of tera!y" )n my case )-d like to
use 00G assessment to el! me select nutritional su!!lements tat will affect brain
biocemistry" #irst we need to attem!t to relate 00G !atterns to neurocemistry" 'o tat-s
te to!ic of tis !ost" .nd ) need to begin wit an overview of te main class of
neurocemicals 4 neurotransmitters"
What Is A Neurotransmitter?
. neurotransmitter is a substance tat carries a message between brain cells &neurons*"
6eurotransmitter molecules are secreted by one neuron and detected by rece!tors in
ad,acent neurons" Mostly tis a!!ens at ,unctions between cells called syna!ses"
6eurotransmitters can be e$citatory, meaning tey stimulate greater activation of te
receiving neurons, or inibitory, meaning tey dam!en down activation" )mbalances in
neurotransmitters manifest as sym!toms" )mbalances can be created by tere being
literally too muc or too little neurotransmitter, but also by a !roblem wit te rece!tors,
or a !roblem wit te brain-s mecanisms for mo!!ing u! neurotransmitters after tey-ve
done teir ,ob"
2e brain-s main e$citatory neurotransmitter is glutamate" )n some disorders it a!!ears
tere is an e$cess of glutamate, and tis causes !roblems" 0$am!les are Parkinson-s and
!ossibly bi!olar disorder" )n te e$treme case glutamate becomes to$ic and can kill
neurons &a !rocess called e$citoto$icity*" 'ym!toms associated wit e$cess glutamate are
e$!losive emotions suc as anger, rage, aggression and !anic, also y!eractivity,
migraines, insomnia, irritability and !oor concentration, and !era!s mania"
2e brain-s main inibitory neurotransmitter is G.B." . lack of G.B. is associated
wit an$iety" Many drugs tat counter an$iety &an$iolytics* do so by stimulating G.B.
release" Because G.B. as te o!!osite effect of glutamate, tere-s a lot of overla!
between glutamate e$cess and G.B. deficit"
Neuromodulators
.n im!ortant sub%class of neurotransmitters are te neuromodulators, te main ones
being serotonin, do!amine, noradrenalin and acetylcoline" 2ey differ in tat rater tan
directly carrying information, tey affect te way cells res!ond to information" )f te song
!laying on your stereo is glutamate and G.B., ten te neuromodulators are like te
volume, bass and treble controls" /n te wole tey seem to induce greater activation in
te brain"
Do!amine is associated wit drive and motivation" 2e brain secretes do!amine as a kind
of reward signal, meaning we tend to want more of wat ,ust a!!ened" Many addictive
drugs suc as cocaine stimulate do!amine"
)t-s tougt tat several disorders are associated wit do!amine deficit 4 including
.D3D, addiction, and a variety of de!ression ty!ified by emotional flatness and lack of
motivation"
Do!amine stimulates te frontal !art of te brain, es!ecially te !refrontal corte$, a
critical brain region for e$ecutive function 4 concentration 7 focus, !lanning and decision
making, olding tings in mind &sort term memory* and emotional regulation" 'o it
makes sense tat te sym!toms of do!amine deficit are distractability, low drive and
motivation, and emotional flatness"
'erotonin is associated wit mood 4 in !articular serotonin deficit is linked to de!ression"
Drugs tat block te action of serotonin induce low mood, as does removing from te diet
te nutritional building blocks of serotonin" 2e serotonin%deficient variety of de!ression
is caracterised more by feelings of misery as o!!osed to flatness and lack of drive &te
do!amine variety*" 'erotonin is also associated wit wakefulness and its dysregulation
wit slee! disturbance" &Do!amine deficit can also affect slee! but in tis case slee!
seems to be e$cessive and unrefresing"* /1D and some eating disorders also seem to be
related to serotonin"
'erotonin releasing neurons stimulate muc of te brain"
6oradrenalin &also known as nore!ine!rine* is associated wit arousal and vigilance"
0$!eriments suggest noradrenalin is released wen someting new a!!ens, tat alerts
our interest" 'o like do!amine, noradrenalin is also associated wit attention,
concentration, sort term memory and oter e$ecutive functions" 'o as you migt e$!ect,
te ma,or sym!tom associated wit noradrenalin deficit is !oor concentration and !oor
cognitive functioning" 8ike serotonin, noradrenalin secreting neurons stimulate all !arts
of te brain, and are associated wit wakefulness"
1emically, noradrenalin is derived from do!amine" 6utrients tat su!!ort te do!amine
!atway, also su!!ort noradrenalin !roduction"
8ess is known about acetylcoline-s function in te brain, wic a!!ears com!le$, but it
is connected to memory" )t-s !articularly !revalent in te i!!ocam!us, a brain sructure
critical to memory" .cetylcoline !roducing neurons are among te first to die in
.l9eimer-s wic of course affects memory"
)t remains for me to relate neurotransmitters to 00G findings 4 but tis !ost as grown so
long tat ) o!e you-ll forgive me if ) delay tis till my ne$t !ost 4 coming soon"