by Eden A.
The Cleveland Clinic mentions, “Neurotransmitters are the human body’s chemical messengers.” These transmitters are in the brain and body from nerve cells, muscles and gland cells. The messages help you move parts of your body and can share the actions to the rest of the body. Our body has a network that receives electrical signals. Your nervous system controls everything from the mind to muscles, and organs.
This blog will explain all about what neurotransmitters are, as we have millions of neurons in our body and they make up three parts. First, we have the cell body and it’s vital to maintaining the function of nerve cells. Second, we have an Axon and the job is to carry electrical signs along the nerve to the axon terminal. Third, an axon terminal is where the electrical messages are turned to chemical signals using the neurotransmitters to communicate with the other group of organs. When the neurotransmitter is delivered, molecules clear up by using a process known as diffusion, are reused by the nerve cells. These neurotransmitters may also break down to enzymes.
The neurotransmitters transmit three different actions in the cycle.There is the excitatory that has the role for firing off messages that continue to be passed along to the next cell and some examples include glutamate, epinephrine and norepinephrine. Next, we have the inhibitory which blocks as well as prevents chemical messengers from going farther. Think of our neurotransmitters of healthy energy, that can change our daily actions or feelings. Gamma-aminobutyric acid known as (GABA), glycine and serotonin are great examples of inhibitory neurotransmitters. Also, modulatory neurotransmitters are influenced on overall effects.
On the other hand, we have Monoamine neurotransmitters that regulate emotion and attention. These are some of the transmitters that we may be familiar with. Serotonin, for example, helps regulate mood and sleeping problems. Histamine regulates our body function by using behavior and motivation. A good example for Histamine is cheese. We also have Dopamine plays a role in the reward system by giving us pleasure. Adrenaline is responsible for the 3 Fs (fight, flight and freeze), and as the goal is to protect us, it controls most of our anxiety and other emotions. Lastly, Endorphins are our bodies pain reliever and control our perception as humans. When we think, it can affect us in a million different ways.
Overall, knowing this information can help you get a sense of how our body specifically works and the many functions, known as impacts that it has in daily life. This is also important and very interesting to me, as when I grow up I want to go into neuroscience and love learning about anatomy.
MLA:
“Neurotransmitters: What They Are, Functions & Types.” Cleveland Clinic, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22513-neurotransmitters.
