Obsessive Compulsive Disorder  & Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are used to relay, amplify and modulate electrical signals between a neuron and another cell. According to the prevailing beliefs of the 1960s, a chemical can be classified as a neurotransmitter if it meets the following conditions:

It is synthesized endogenously, that is, within the presynaptic neuron

It is available in sufficient quantity in the presynaptic neuron to exert an effect on the postsynaptic neuron

Externally administered, it must mimic the endogenously-released substance and

A biochemical mechanism for inactivation must be present.

However, there are other materials, such as the zinc ion, that are neither synthesized nor catabolized and are considered neurotransmitters by some. Thus, the old definitions are being revised.

There are many different ways to classify neurotransmitters. Often, dividing them into amino acids, peptides, and monoamines is sufficient for many purposes.

Some more precise divisions are as follows:

Around 10 small-molecule neurotransmitters are known:

acetylcholine

monoamines

3 or 4 amino acids, depending on exact definition used:

Purines,

Fatty acids are also receiving attention as the potential endogenous cannabinoid.

Over 50 neuroactive peptides have been found, among them hormones such as LH or insulin that have specific local actions in addition to their long-range signalling properties.

Single ions, such as synaptically-released zinc, are also considered neurotransmitters by some.

The major workhorse neurotransmitters of the brain are glutamic acid and GABA.

Some examples of neurotransmitter action:

Acetylcholine - voluntary movement of the muscles

Norepinephrine - wakefulness or arousal

Dopamine - voluntary movement and emotional arousal

Serotonin - memory, emotions, wakefulness, sleep and temperature regulation

GABA - inhibition of motor neurons

Glycine - spinal reflexes and motor behaviour

Neuromodulators - sensory transmission-especially pain

It is im