Neurotransmitters and Mental Health

Researchers now believe that production of too much or too little of one or more neurotransmitters or a breakdown in the communication between nerve cells plays a significant part in mental health. Dopamine, for example, is believed to play a role in the voices and delusions of schizophrenics. Glutamate doesn't function properly in people with schizophrenia causing them to become confused. New treatments for schizophrenia focus on restoring glutamate function. Because dopamine activity makes us feel good, some drug addictions involve increased dopamine activity. Cocaine, for example, blocks reuptake of dopamine, thereby increasing its availability in the synaptic cleft and creating a feeling of euphoria. Depression is now thought to result in part from a deficiency of serotonin. A common treatment of depression is to block the reuptake of serotonin at the synapse making more of it available for binding with postsynaptic neurons. People with low attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tend to have low levels of epinephrine.

 

 

 

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