Neurotransmitters Essay

376 Words2 Pages
Neurotransmitters (NT) act as chemical messengers in the body. Specifically, they function to transmit signals from a neuron to a target cell across a potential space known as a synapse, or synaptic cleft. In effect, this allows one nerve cell to communicate with a second nerve cell. Some common neurotransmitters are acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). Acetylcholine and norepinephrine are excitatory neurotransmitters while dopamine, serotonin, and GABA are inhibitory (Kau-Nu, 2011). Neurotransmitters are molecules that act as messages in the nervous system in the human brain. These molecules range in complexity from the two-carbon transmitter glycine to large proteins. There are three major classes of neurotransmitters, and these include amino acids, amines, and peptides. For the second question, we see that neurons are the actual nerve fibers of the body. They may be one of three types. These include the efferent nerves, interneurons, and afferent nerves. Afferent nerves are the sensory receptors responsible for detecting stimuli. Stimuli may be something like an extremely hot surface upon your skin. Interneurons transfer the signal toward the efferent neurons. These are the motor nerve fibers responsible for contracting the muscles in your arms to remove your hand from the hot surface. For the third question, there are actually several appropriate answers. However, we can focus in on Parkinson's disease (PD), which is essentially an issue with the neurotransmitter dopamine. In this condition, the symptoms are caused by the death of dopamine generating cells in the brain of patients with the disease. Patients with PD have a moderately progressive limitation of many movement related functions of the body. Another disease thought to be associated with neurotransmitters appears to be obsessive-compulsive disorder
Open Document