Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Chemical signaling between neurons is mediated by neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, hormones, neuromodulators, and many other types of signaling molecules. Many neurological diseases arise due to an imbalance in the brain's neurochemistry. For example, in Parkinson's Disease, there is an imbalance in the brain's level of dopamine.
(Note: Glutamate is chemically identical to the MSG commonly used to flavor food.) GABA is an example of an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Monoamine neurotransmitters: Dopamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. It plays a key role in the functioning of the limbic system, which is involved in emotional function and control.
Artistic interpretation of the major elements in chemical synaptic transmission. An electrochemical wave called an action potential travels along the axon of a neuron.When the action potential reaches the presynaptic terminal, it provokes the release of a synaptic vesicle, secreting its quanta of neurotransmitter molecules.
Dopamine and serotonin pathway. One form of behavioral neuropharmacology focuses on the study of drug dependence and how drug addiction affects the human mind. Most research has shown that the major part of the brain that reinforces addiction through neurochemical reward is the nucleus accumbens. The image to the right shows how dopamine is ...
Storage of the neurotransmitter in storage granules or vesicles in the axon terminal. Calcium enters the axon terminal during an action potential, causing release of the neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft. After its release, the transmitter binds to and activates a receptor in the postsynaptic membrane. Deactivation of the neurotransmitter.
What is known is that the main two neurotransmitter systems implicated in schizophrenia are the dopamine and glutamate pathways. Dopamine became a candidate for research when it was clinically noticed that antipsychotic drugs which are dopamine D 2 receptor antagonists were noted to be quite successful in treating schizophrenia as well. [ 10 ]
Since memories are postulated to be represented by vastly interconnected neural circuits in the brain, synaptic plasticity is one of the important neurochemical foundations of learning and memory (see Hebbian theory). Plastic change often results from the alteration of the number of neurotransmitter receptors located on a synapse. [2]
A neural pathway connects one part of the nervous system to another using bundles of axons called tracts. The optic tract that extends from the optic nerve is an example of a neural pathway because it connects the eye to the brain; additional pathways within the brain connect to the visual cortex.