Neurotransmitters are involved in communication between the brain and the body. Without them, there would be neither memory nor feeling. Neurotransmitters have multiple functions. How to define them and what are their mode of operation?

A neurotransmitter, or neurotransmitter, is a chemical messenger that transmits information from one nerve cell (neuron) to another, crossing the space between these cells, the synapse.

The nerve cell is responsible for transmitting nerve impulses. The nerve impulse is an electrical activity which spreads in the nervous system thanks to the stimulation of successive neurons.

The neuron that releases neurotransmitters is called presynaptic and the one that receives it, postsynaptic.

For a given neurotransmitter, there are several different receptors that are significant to it. It is the presence or absence of these receptors on this postsynaptic neuron that determines the particular chemical reactions that lead to the excitation or inhibition of this neuron.

There are fundamental differences between the varieties of neurotransmitters. Some control your heart rate and blood pressure, while others make you feel joy or sorrow, fix your mood, or help you sleep.

Neurotransmitters fall into two categories depending on the type of action they perform.

Some are said to be excitatory, when it triggers a nerve impulse in the receptor neuron (postsynaptic). Others are seen as inhibitors, that is, they prevent the triggering of a nerve impulse and help your brain to stop actions. “Exciters” or “inhibitors”, they are necessary for the proper functioning of the body.

Here are some of the main ones:

• Acetylcholine is a well-known excitatory neurotransmitter that causes muscle contraction and stimulates the expulsion of certain hormones. So acetylcholine kicks in every time you move your muscles, whether in voluntary or involuntary movements such as the beating of the heart. In the central nervous system, it is responsible for arousal, attention, anger, aggression, sexuality and thirst;
• Dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for our energy and posture, regulates mood. It is she who is involved in the search for pleasure or emotions. Dopamine invigorates your brain and gives you feelings of pleasure;
• Glutamate is common in our diet and acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter, stimulating neurons to issue major commands. Associated with learning and memory and help to learn;
• Norepinephrine is an important neurotransmitter for attention, wakefulness, sleep, dreaming, sensitivity to emotional signals (fear, pleasure, sexual desire) and learning. Norepinephrine also acts as a hormone when released into the bloodstream where it constricts blood vessels and increases heart rate.

However, when the action of neurotransmitters is disturbed, behavioral disturbances such as anxiety, depression and even aggression are frequently seen. These neurotransmitters are part of the amino acid family except acetylcholine.

• “Alzheimer’s disease” is associated with a lack of acetylcholine in certain areas of the brain;
• The loss of dopamine in parts of the brain leads to the muscle stiffness typical of Parkinson’s disease. Releasing an overabundance of dopamine, creates a temporary feeling of pleasure, or euphoria, on the other hand, the collapse which follows a peak of dopamine can be brutal and make you feel depressed, tired;
• Too much glutamate can be difficult for the brain to manage because it can overexcite cells, to a point where neurons can no longer reduce their energy level. This state of excitement can cause cells to stop functioning. Glutamate is also linked to Alzheimer’s disease, in fact the first symptoms are generally in memory;
• Noradrenaline: if the balance is disturbed, appearance of mood disorders, withdrawal into oneself, detachment, demotivation, depression, drop in libido.

In the absence of disease, or symptoms of imbalance, it seems possible to stimulate certain functions of the brain.

Researchers have shown that we can proceed directly to the level of certain neurotransmitters by modifying the quantity of amino acids that give rise to them in the diet, but also by using appropriate nutritional supplements.

Amino acids come from the breakdown of proteins present in meats, eggs, fish, dairy products. On the other hand, acetylcholine is made from choline, a substance provided by dietary fat, egg yolk, meat, wheat germ, soybeans, crucifers.

It is therefore sometimes possible to adapt the action of a neurotransmitter.