So on what basis do we call a chemical, a neurotransmitter?

(criteria list) Sudhiksha has already given us an idea of the different types of neurotransmitters. Let us go further and look at a few common neurotransmitters and their functions. First we start with the most familiar neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. It is the transmitter at the neuromuscular junction connecting motor nerves to muscles. So whenever you move your hands or feet, it is acetylcholine which is basically helping you do that. Now, an interesting point about this. You all must have used insecticides in an attempt to fight off cockroaches and other insects. While doing this, you must have noticed the effect of the insecticide on the insect. A few seconds after youve sprayed the insecticide, the insect starts moving its limbs chaotically. Why does this happen? Most of the insecticides contain a chemical which degrades the enzyme acetylcholine esterase. I guess you already have an idea of the function of this particular enxyme-it degrades the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. So once this enzyme is destroyed, the acetyl choline molecules which attach to the receptor sites stay there for longer than what they are supposed to. This keeps sending nerve impulses without a break, hence the muscles which receive these continuous signals contract and relax in a haphazard manner and the limbs move chaotically. Next, we come to serotonin. Serotonin is a very important neurotransmitter which controls mood. A higher level of serotonin is linked to a feeling of well-being. And obviously, lower levels of serotonin cause depression. The antidepressants prescribed to depression patients basically act like serotonin reuptake inhibitors, that is, do not allow the reuptake of serotonin, letting the serotonin molecules to be present in the synaptic cleft, free to bind to the receptors. Apart from this, serotonin also functions to regulate appetite, sleep, memory, learning, etc. When you step on a sharp object, the pain you perceive is because of the process of neurotransmission. The pain receptors in your feet send certain nerve impulses to the brain, which perceives it as pain. Substance P is a neurotransmitter which is responsible for this sort of a neurotransmission. Now, there is another set of neurotransmitters called the opioid peptides or endorphins which help in relieving pain. They do this by inhibiting Substance P and thus stopping the nerve impulses of pain perception. A few endorphins also cause euphoria, or extreme happiness. The opiate drugs such as morphine mimic the action of these endorphins to give the feeling of euphoria. GABA or gamma aminobutyric acid is a very important and powerful inhibitory neurotransmitter. It causes the hyperpolarisation of neurons as a result of which the neurons become less excitable. Many sedatives or tranquilisers act by enhancing the effects of GABA. Glycine is another inhibitory neurotransmitter in the spinal cord. You eat a piece of chocolate cake. But it doesnt stop with that, you feel like having more of it. This is basically due to dopamine. Dopamine is another important neurotransmitter which controls mood and behaviour. It mediates pleasure and stimulates us to seek out pleasurable activities like eating yummy food. Several drugs of abuse also stimulate dopamine release in the brain and thus dopamine is often linked to addiction. Drugs like cocaine inhibit the reuptake of dopamine, thus increasing the presence of dopamine in the synaptic cleft. And this results in the feeling of pleasure

or happiness. Imbalance in the levels of dopamine can result in many disorders. people with Parkinson's disease have been linked to low levels of dopamine and people with schizophrenia have been linked to high levels of dopamine. So now coming to the procedure of neurotransmission, the neurotransmitter molecule is released form the vesicle and subsequently binds to the receptor of the post synaptic neuron. Once this happens, the sodium gates open just as a door opens upon the insertion of a key into the keyhole. This magnified view of the sodium gates shows the influx of the sodium ions. The glow of the LED implies that the signal has been received by the post synaptic neuron in the form of an action potential which has taken place through the influx of sodium ions through the sodium gates. Now, the whole process repeats with this neuron becoming the pre synaptic neuron. This way the nerve impulse is transmitted throughout the neural network. What really amazes us is the speed with which the whole process happens. About 1000 such nerve impulses can be transmitted in just a second. Now sneha will talk about the termination of stimulation and its physiological significance.