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Nootropics, neurotransmitters and modulating mood
Posted by
Daryl
,
02 February 2014
·
2,123 views
The brain is by far the most complicated organ in the body and trying to understand its inner workings can give you one serious headache, no pun intended.
Most people know that the nervous system and the brain work by sending electrical impulses across nerves, but something that is less common knowledge is the way that neurotransmitters and their receptors work.
This is a key aspect of the way that many nootropic supplements work, so knowing something about some of these chemicals will give you a deeper understanding of how your mood altering supplements work.
How nootropics affect the nervous system
Nerves pass their messages to other nerves and their target cells through structures called synapses. A synapse simply refers to the gap between the nerve and whatever it's trying to transmit its message to. How does the message make it across the gap? The answer is through chemical diffusion.
Electrochemical communication
When the electrical impulse reaches the end of the nerve it triggers a special type of membrane, called a voltage-dependent calcium channel. Ordinarily, there are a huge number of calcium ions located outside of the membrane, but the electrical charge causes the polarity of the membrane to flip and this sense the calcium ions rushing in.
At the same time, the neurotransmitter is released and begins to make its way across the synaptic cleft to the target cell. There, it is bound to a neurotransmitter receptor protein which results in the desired result. This can be the continuation of the message through another electrical impulse or a chemical reaction that yields the desired effect.
Monoamines
As you can see, these neurotransmitters are ans important part of the nervous system and how we carry information around our body, and you’ll undoubtedly have heard of some of them when I start to name them. The most relevant group to nootropic fans are probably monoamines. The name “monoamine” simply refers to their chemical structure, in that they have a single amine group connected to an aromatic ring.
Some of the more famous monoamine neurotransmitters include compounds likeepinephrine, dopamineand serotonin. These are all targets of many nootropic and anti-depressant drugs that seek to increase focus, boost mood and reduce anxiety in the people who take them.
How to maintain neurotransmitter balance
Neurotransmitters are a key part of our body’s system of regulating our brain function, and science has used this to its advantage.
By introducing precursors to the neurotransmitters (substances that can be used to make the neurotransmitters), we can increase the concentration of them in the body and use this to achieve a desired effect.
For example, L-DOPA, which is a precursor for dopamine, can be given to people suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
Since Parkinson';s is related to a dopamine deficiency and L-DOPA is capable of crossing the Blood Brain Barrier, it can result in an increase in dopamine levels and as such an alleviation of symptoms associated with the disease.
In terms of nootropic supplements with practical benefits, one of the more relevant applications of the mechanisms of neurotransmitter receptors is that of GABA (Gamma – Aminobutyric Acid). GABA interacts with GABA receptors in the brain to inhibit them, and is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in humans.
Its role in the body is to act as a regulator for the excitability of neurons in the brain i.e. it controls how easily and regularly neurons fire off to give an effect.
GABA reduces anxiety
Under normal physiological circumstances, a neuron has a set amount of stimulus that is required to make the neuron send an electrical impulse. Neurons are said to have a binary “all or nothing” system, in that there is no such thing as a partial message – it is either sent or it isn't.
This is kept stable by a delicate balance of positively charged potassium ions and negatively charged chloride ions. GABA works by either forcing negative chloride ions into the cell or positive potassium ions out. This makes the charge of the membrane more negative overall and is referred to as polarization.
As a result, more stimulus is required to get the neuron to fire, and the excitability of the neuron is reduced. Physically, this manifests itself as a calming and anxiolytic effect, which is what GABA’s trade names (Phenibut and Picamilon) promise.
Interestingly, GABA is incapable of passing the Blood Brain Barrier on its own, and has to have some way of getting around it. For example, in Picamilon, it is fused with niacin to allow it to sneak across and become biologically active in the brain.
Conclusion
As we can see, neurotransmitters and their appropriate receptors are both and interesting and important part of the way our body’s handle electrical information, and an understanding of their mechanisms can allow us to utilize them for desired effects – be it their medical applications as is the case with Parkinson’s disease, or their calming effects as is the case with some nootropic supplements.
Hopefully now that you know a little bit more about how they work you’ll be better able to appreciate how the nootropic supplements you’re interested in operate in your brain to achieve the desired results that they are known for.
Sources:
Most people know that the nervous system and the brain work by sending electrical impulses across nerves, but something that is less common knowledge is the way that neurotransmitters and their receptors work.
This is a key aspect of the way that many nootropic supplements work, so knowing something about some of these chemicals will give you a deeper understanding of how your mood altering supplements work.
How nootropics affect the nervous system
Nerves pass their messages to other nerves and their target cells through structures called synapses. A synapse simply refers to the gap between the nerve and whatever it's trying to transmit its message to. How does the message make it across the gap? The answer is through chemical diffusion.
Electrochemical communication
When the electrical impulse reaches the end of the nerve it triggers a special type of membrane, called a voltage-dependent calcium channel. Ordinarily, there are a huge number of calcium ions located outside of the membrane, but the electrical charge causes the polarity of the membrane to flip and this sense the calcium ions rushing in.
At the same time, the neurotransmitter is released and begins to make its way across the synaptic cleft to the target cell. There, it is bound to a neurotransmitter receptor protein which results in the desired result. This can be the continuation of the message through another electrical impulse or a chemical reaction that yields the desired effect.
Monoamines
As you can see, these neurotransmitters are ans important part of the nervous system and how we carry information around our body, and you’ll undoubtedly have heard of some of them when I start to name them. The most relevant group to nootropic fans are probably monoamines. The name “monoamine” simply refers to their chemical structure, in that they have a single amine group connected to an aromatic ring.
Some of the more famous monoamine neurotransmitters include compounds likeepinephrine, dopamineand serotonin. These are all targets of many nootropic and anti-depressant drugs that seek to increase focus, boost mood and reduce anxiety in the people who take them.
How to maintain neurotransmitter balance
Neurotransmitters are a key part of our body’s system of regulating our brain function, and science has used this to its advantage.
By introducing precursors to the neurotransmitters (substances that can be used to make the neurotransmitters), we can increase the concentration of them in the body and use this to achieve a desired effect.
For example, L-DOPA, which is a precursor for dopamine, can be given to people suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
Since Parkinson';s is related to a dopamine deficiency and L-DOPA is capable of crossing the Blood Brain Barrier, it can result in an increase in dopamine levels and as such an alleviation of symptoms associated with the disease.
In terms of nootropic supplements with practical benefits, one of the more relevant applications of the mechanisms of neurotransmitter receptors is that of GABA (Gamma – Aminobutyric Acid). GABA interacts with GABA receptors in the brain to inhibit them, and is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in humans.
Its role in the body is to act as a regulator for the excitability of neurons in the brain i.e. it controls how easily and regularly neurons fire off to give an effect.
GABA reduces anxiety
Under normal physiological circumstances, a neuron has a set amount of stimulus that is required to make the neuron send an electrical impulse. Neurons are said to have a binary “all or nothing” system, in that there is no such thing as a partial message – it is either sent or it isn't.
This is kept stable by a delicate balance of positively charged potassium ions and negatively charged chloride ions. GABA works by either forcing negative chloride ions into the cell or positive potassium ions out. This makes the charge of the membrane more negative overall and is referred to as polarization.
As a result, more stimulus is required to get the neuron to fire, and the excitability of the neuron is reduced. Physically, this manifests itself as a calming and anxiolytic effect, which is what GABA’s trade names (Phenibut and Picamilon) promise.
Interestingly, GABA is incapable of passing the Blood Brain Barrier on its own, and has to have some way of getting around it. For example, in Picamilon, it is fused with niacin to allow it to sneak across and become biologically active in the brain.
Conclusion
As we can see, neurotransmitters and their appropriate receptors are both and interesting and important part of the way our body’s handle electrical information, and an understanding of their mechanisms can allow us to utilize them for desired effects – be it their medical applications as is the case with Parkinson’s disease, or their calming effects as is the case with some nootropic supplements.
Hopefully now that you know a little bit more about how they work you’ll be better able to appreciate how the nootropic supplements you’re interested in operate in your brain to achieve the desired results that they are known for.
Sources:
- The synapse: neuroscience for kids
- What are neurotransmitters?
- Biochemistry by Lubert Stryer
- GABA: what is it?, GABA dosage and side effects
