{"id":14569,"date":"2012-09-17T13:50:19","date_gmt":"2012-09-17T20:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?page_id=14569"},"modified":"2015-08-12T16:15:21","modified_gmt":"2015-08-12T23:15:21","slug":"neurotransmitters","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/neurotransmitters\/","title":{"rendered":"Neurotransmitters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14886 alignright\" title=\"neurotransmitter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/neurotransmitter.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration of neurotransmitter\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" \/>A <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>neurotransmitter<\/strong><\/span> is a chemical released by a neuron that either amplifies or inhibits the transmission of signals between neurons.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Neurotransmitter Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Neurons send signals to other neurons across tiny gaps called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/psychpedia\/synapse\" target=\"_blank\">synapses<\/a>. When a nerve impulse triggers a signal, the neuron\u2019s axon releases the neurotransmitter. The neurotransmitter binds to receptors within the postsynaptic membrane and affects the signal sent across the synapse.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Examples of Neurotransmitters<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>There are many neurotransmitters, but a few have received attention due to their role in mental health conditions. Commonly-known neurotransmitters include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/psychpedia\/acetylcholine\" target=\"_blank\">Acetylcholine<\/a> \u2013 The first discovered neurotransmitter, this chemical plays an important role in REM sleep.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/psychpedia\/dopamine\" target=\"_blank\">Dopamine<\/a> \u2013 Dopamine is associated with reward-inducing brain mechanisms, and has an inhibitory effect on signals traveling across neurons.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/psychpedia\/gaba\" target=\"_blank\">GABA<\/a> \u2013 GABA is usually inhibitory and frequently plays a role in inhibiting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/learn-about-therapy\/issues\/anxiety\" target=\"_blank\">anxiety<\/a>-producing signals.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/psychpedia\/serotonin\" target=\"_blank\">Serotonin<\/a> \u2013 This inhibitory neurotransmitter plays a vital role in mood regulation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Role in Psychology<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Contemporary psychology increasingly recognizes the role neurotransmitters play in mental health conditions, particularly mood disorders. For example, serotonin levels can play a part in mood disorders such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/learn-about-therapy\/issues\/depression\" target=\"_blank\">depression<\/a>. Serotonin has also been linked with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/learn-about-therapy\/issues\/ocd\" target=\"_blank\">obsessive-compulsive<\/a> disorder and anger management problems.<\/p>\n<p>The neurotransmitter dopamine is important for understanding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/learn-about-therapy\/issues\/drug-and-substance-abuse\" target=\"_blank\">addiction<\/a>. Drugs such as cocaine and heroin increase dopamine levels and inhibit nerve signals that can lead to negative feelings. The increased dopamine increases the addict\u2019s desire to use the drug. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/learn-about-therapy\/issues\/schizophrenia\" target=\"_blank\">Schizophrenia<\/a> may result from excessively high levels of dopamine.<\/p>\n<p>Psychiatrists commonly prescribe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/drugs\/antidepressants-ssris.html\" target=\"_blank\">selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors<\/a> to clients with depression and anxiety. These medications can help regulate serotonin and improve mood.\u00a0 However, not all mood disorders are caused by serotonin issues, so these medications do not work for everyone. Further, clinicians typically diagnose based on symptoms, so there is no way to know how many patients suffer from depression due to neurotransmitter issues rather than due to other problems.<\/p>\n<p><strong>References:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Boeree, C. G. (n.d.). Neurotransmitters. Retrieved from http:\/\/webspace.ship.edu\/cgboer\/genpsyneurotransmitters.html<\/li>\n<li>Kring, A. M., Johnson, S. L., Davison, G. C., &amp; Neale, J. M. (2010). <em>Abnormal psychology<\/em>. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &amp; Sons.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A neurotransmitter is a chemical released by a neuron that either amplifies or inhibits the transmission of signals between neurons. Neurotransmitter Process Neurons send signals to other neurons across tiny gaps called synapses. When a nerve impulse triggers a signal, the neuron\u2019s axon releases the neurotransmitter. The neurotransmitter binds to receptors within the postsynaptic membrane [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2474,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"psychpedia.php","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14569","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2474"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14569\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}