What Are Neurotransmitters

and

How They Affect Your Life?

Just like hormones govern many chemical functions in the body, the brain's chemical functions are governed by "neurotransmitters".

A neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger used by neurons (nerve cells) to communicate in one direction with other neurons. Communication between neurons is accomplished by the recognition of a receptor for a specific chemical messenger; picture a ball (neurotransmitter) in a cup (receptor).

The human brain is very capable of automatically manufacturing the quantity of chemicals it needs IF it is given the raw materials (nutrients from foods) to do so.

However, normal diet does not supply enough of the raw materials the brain needs to manufacture enough neurotransmitters. Additionally, stress, worry, depression, emotional ups and downs, drugs, alcohol, poor nutrition, pollution and other factors of modern life are known to deplete neurotransmitter levels.


Neurotransmitter deficiency and/or imbalance can affect your stress condition, energy, appetite, cravings, sleep, mood, learning ability, focus, memory, sex drive, anger, irritability, temper, addictions and many other functions of daily life

With the amount of stress and diet inadequacy in our modern life we would have to consume approximately:

Several pounds of fish, multiple servings of whole milk, many platters
of cheese and turkey every day just to keep our neurotransmitter levels normal.

Or, we could accomplish the same thing by taking beCALM'd™!
Neurotransmitter Information
Neuro Transmitter Produce Deficiencies May Cause Supplement Required Present In Foods
Serotonin Emotional Stability Lack of rational emotion, feelings of irritability, sudden unexplained tears, sleep problems 5HTP or L-tryptophan from food, Calcium and Magnesium Turkey Ham Milk Cheese
Dopamine Pleasure, reward, good feelings toward others, maternal/ paternal love Anhedonia - No pleasure, world looks colorless, inability to "love", no remorse about personal behavior L-phenylalanine Vitamin B6 Lean beef Shellfish Fowl Soy products
Norepinephrine Arousal, energy, drive Lack of ambition, lack of drive, depression L-phenylalanine Vitamin B6 Lean beef Shellfish Fowl Soy products
GABA Staying calm Free floating anxiety, feelings that things are closing in around you, unexplained panic L-glutamine Vitamin B6 Lean beef & pork Sesame seeds Fowl Sunflower seeds
Enkephalins Psychological pain relief Feelings of incompleteness, lack of fulfillment, feelings of inferiority, feelings of inadequacy, never feels "equal," fearful, insecure feelings D-phenylalanine Vitamin B6 Folic Acid Seafood Fowl Lima beans Ham

More About Neurotransmitters

Source: "Neurotransmitters for Kids"

Eric H. Chudler, Ph.D.; University of Washington; Seattle, Washington 98195-6540

Communication of information between neurons is accomplished by movement of chemicals across a small gap called the synapse. Chemicals, called neurotransmitters, are released from one neuron at the presynaptic nerve terminal. Neurotransmitters then cross the synapse where they may be accepted by the next neuron at a specialized site called a receptor. The action that follows activation of a receptor site may be either depolarization (an excitatory postsynaptic potential) or hyperpolarization (an inhibitory postsynaptic potential). A depolarization makes it MORE likely that an action potential will fire; a hyperpolarization makes it LESS likely that an action potential will fire.

A neurotransmitter is the smallest of the informational molecules that transmits an impulse from one nerve cell to one or more neighboring cells across a junction called a synapse. Neurotransmitters are stored in vesicles (little containers) at the ends of neurons. When these neurotransmitters reach the receptors of other neurons, a complex cascade of effects may result, such as increased heart rate, changes in mood, perception, and thought.

Neurotransmitters can also affect the sensitivity of neurons, making them more or less reactive to impulses.

The brain has a limited quantity of any neurotransmitter available at any given time. After having been released for use and having completed its task, the neurotransmitter is rapidly destroyed or recycled and stored for later use. If neurotransmission were not limited in this way, the brain might race out of control, virtually burning itself out. Because neurotransmitters must be made ongoing, the brain must continually renew its supply of raw materials, such as amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, which it needs for manufacturing more neurotransmitters as well as the fuel (i.e., glucose and oxygen) that it needs to function and the antioxidants that it needs for protection.

If neurotransmitter precursors, the raw materials from which we make these vital nervous system messengers, are in short supply, problems in perception, behavior, cognition, and mood will result. Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are the most important of the neurotransmitter precursors. The brain uses some of the unaltered amino acids as neurotransmitters, directly. Glutamate, aspartate, and glycine are three such amino acids. It builds other neurotransmitters by altering the amino acids slightly and/or combining them with other substances.

An example:

In order to make the dopamine and norepinephrine, two neurotransmitters that may be deficient in some children, the brain must have adequate supplies of amino acids, vitamin B6, and iron. If a child does not take in and properly absorb these nutrients, he or she will not have what is needed to make enough dopamine and norepinephrine.

The amino acid tyrosine is found in the nerve cells of the brain.
Tyrosine is transformed into L-dopa only in the presence of enzymes, folic acid, niacin (vitamin B3), and iron.
L-dopa is changed into dopamine in the presence of vitamin B6.
Norepinephrine is finally made with the assistance of vitamin C.
As the above example illustrates, proteins alone are not sufficient. A host of cofactors are critical in a child's diet in order to manufacture the proper brain chemicals and structures that support optimal mood, cognition, and behavior.

More About Neurotransmitters

Source: The National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Research Center; 733 Third Avenue; New York, NY 10017

Neurotransmitters are small molecules whose function is to transmit nerve signals (impulses) from one nerve cell (neuron) to another. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers which neurons use to tell other neurons that they have received an impulse. There are many different neurotransmitters - some trigger the receiving neuron to send an impulse and some stop it from doing so. See this simplified diagram of a neuron:


Nerve impulses always flow in one direction - from the branched extensions called dendrites, down the neuron to the presynaptic terminals. The join between the presynaptic terminals of one neuron and the dendrites of another is called the synapse. The two neurons do not actually touch each other but are separated by a space called the synaptic cleft. When a nerve impulse arrives at a presynaptic terminal it causes neurotransmitters to be released into the synaptic cleft. The neurotransmitters then bind with special "postsynaptic receptors" in the dendrites of the receiving neuron. When a postsynaptic receptor receives a neurotransmitter it can either cause a nerve impulse to travel down the neuron or it can inhibit a nerve impulse depending on the neurotransmitter released.

Neurotransmitters which propagate nerve impulses in the receiving neuron are called excitatory neurotransmitters. Those which inhibit nerve impulses are called inhibitory neurotransmitters.

Neurotransmitters are sythesized in the cell body (the soma) and migrate down the axon to the presynaptic terminals. Here they are stored in little packets called vesicles which fuse with the synaptic membrane. When a depolarizing current (the action potential) is received, these vesicles release their contents into the synaptic cleft.

Many different substances effect the transmission of nerve impulses across the synapse and many of these are falsely called neurotransmitters. To be a neurotransmitter a substance must:
  • be synthezised within neurons
  • be released from the presynaptic terminal in response to an action potential (essentially a nerve impulse).
  • cause a biological effect in the postsynaptic receptors.
  • a mechanism must exist to inactivate or remove the transmitter from the receptor


Neurotransmitters activate receptors by "sticking" to them and thus preventing other neurotransmitters from activating them. Inactivation of the transmitter happens in one of three ways:

  • reabsorption of the neurotransmitter into the neuron. This is known as reuptake.
  • destruction of the neurotransmitter with special chemicals called enzymes. This is known as enzymatic degradation.
  • by the neurotransmitter becoming deteched from the receptor and drifting out of the synaptic cleft. This is known as diffusion.
Substances that effect neurotransmission but are not neurotransmitters can be broadly divided into two categories - agonists and antagonists. Agonists make transmission of nerve impulses more likely. They do this in a number of ways including preventing reuptake (cocaine works this way), actually triggering the receptor themselves (nicotine works this way) and by making the receptor more responsive (a lot of anti-anxiety drugs work like this). Antagonists do the opposite - they interfere with nerve transmission across the synapse sometimes by blocking receptor sites (many spider and snake venoms work this way) and sometimes by preventing release of the neurotransmitter from the presynaptic terminal (many anti-psychotic drugs operate like this).

The following is an incomplete list of neurotransmitters, together with the sites in which they work:

Neurotransmitters
Group Neurotransmitter Region of Operation
Acetylcholine Acetylcholine Central Nervous System (CNS), Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) and Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
Serotonin Serotonin CNS and PNS
Amino acids Glutamate, GammaAminobutyric Acid (GABA), Glycine, Aspartate CNS
Histamine Histamine Hypothalamus
Catecholamines Norpinephrine, Epinephrine (Adrenalin) CNS and Sympathetic Nervous System
Neuropeptides Endorphins (Enkephalins and Dynorphins), Substance P CNS
Dopamine Dopamine CNS
Nucleotides Adenosine, Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) CNS, PNS and ANS
Nitric oxide Nitric oxide CNS
Neurotransmitter Synthesis

Listed below are educational resources to assist you in learning about neurotransmitters and amino acids
that support their natural replenishment:

5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) is a precursor to serotonin. And serotonin can further convert to melatonin. A simple diagram that shows the synthesis of serotonin:

5-HTP--->converts to--->Serotonin---converts to--->Melatonin

Independent Supportive Research:
Indiana State University
The University of Toledo

Phenylalanine and tyrosine are precursors to the body's three "fight or flight" hormones, dopamine, epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine. A simple diagram that shows the synthesis of dopamine:

Phenylalanine---converts to--->Tyrosine---converts to--->DOPA---converts to--->Dopamine

Independent Supportive Research:
University of Nebraska at Lincoln
Indiana State University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Phenylalanine and tyrosine are precursors to norepinephrine and epinephrine. A simple diagram that shows the synthesis of norepinephrine and epinephrine:

Phenylalanine---converts to--->Tyrosine---converts to--->DOPA---converts to--->Dopamine---converts to--->Norepinephrine---converts to--->Epinephrine

Independent Supportive Research:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
University of Miami, School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
University of Nevada

Glutamine is a precursor to GABA (Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid). A simple diagram that shows the synthesis of norepinephrine and epinephrine:

Glutamine---converts to--->GABA

Independent Supportive Research:
University of Nebraska at Lincoln
Oxford Journals Online
National Library of Medicine