Brain basics

T

tnthomas

Well-known Member
Location
Calif.
For quite some time I've been interested in doing a posting on mental health, and how it is shaped buy the brain's chemistry, particularly by neurotransmitters. I am not in the healthcare industry(medical, behavioral) by any means, am only a lay-person...almost a "hobbyist" of sorts, really more of a patient but also maybe a self-help practitioner . ;) Here is a 'cut n paste' from the NIMH webpage titled "Brain Basics":

Neurotransmitters
Everything we do relies on neurons communicating with one another. Electrical impulses and chemical signals carrying messages across different parts of the brain and between the brain and the rest of the nervous system. When a neuron is activated a small difference in electrical charge occurs. This unbalanced charge is called an action potential and is caused by the concentration of ions (atoms or molecules with unbalanced charges) across the cell membrane. The action potential travels very quickly along the axon, like when a line of dominoes falls.
When the action potential reaches the end of an axon, most neurons release a chemical message (a neurotransmitter) which crosses the synapse and binds to receptors on the receiving neuron's dendrites and starts the process over again. At the end of the line, a neurotransmitter may stimulate a different kind of cell (like a gland cell), or may trigger a new chain of messages.
Neurotransmitters send chemical messages between neurons. Mental illnesses, such as depression, can occur when this process does not work correctly. Communication between neurons can also be electrical, such as in areas of the brain that control movement. When electrical signals are abnormal, they can cause tremors or symptoms found in Parkinson's disease.

  • Serotonin—helps control many functions, such as mood, appetite, and sleep. Research shows that people with depression often have lower than normal levels of serotonin. The types of medications most commonly prescribed to treat depression act by blocking the recycling, or reuptake, of serotonin by the sending neuron. As a result, more serotonin stays in the synapse for the receiving neuron to bind onto, leading to more normal mood functioning.



  • Dopamine—mainly involved in controlling movement and aiding the flow of information to the front of the brain, which is linked to thought and emotion. It is also linked to reward systems in the brain. Problems in producing dopamine can result in Parkinson's disease, a disorder that affects a person's ability to move as they want to, resulting in stiffness, tremors or shaking, and other symptoms. Some studies suggest that having too little dopamine or problems using dopamine in the thinking and feeling regions of the brain may play a role in disorders like schizophrenia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

  • Glutamate—the most common neurotransmitter, glutamate has many roles throughout the brain and nervous system. Glutamate is an excitatory transmitter: when it is released it increases the chance that the neuron will fire. This enhances the electrical flow among brain cells required for normal function and plays an important role during early brain development. It may also assist in learning and memory. Problems in making or using glutamate have been linked to many mental disorders, including autism, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenia, and depression.
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Serotonin Foods and Mood Disorders

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that’s been called the “happy molecule” for the important role it plays in maintaining a positive mood.


It’s believed that low serotonin levels are responsible for the current epidemic of depression.

Prescription drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) help alleviate depression by increasing brain levels of serotonin.

But they can have serious side effects and don’t work for almost half of those who try them.

Consequently, many people with depression are searching for ways to increase serotonin levels naturally.

One seemingly simple solution would be to eat foods high in serotonin.

But it turns out the answer is not that simple.
Serotonin-Rich Foods Don’t Raise Serotonin Levels

You may have heard you should eat bananas to raise serotonin levels because they contain serotonin.

Or that you should eat turkey because it contains tryptophan, a serotonin precursor.

While these tips sound good, they are myths with no basis in reality.

There are very few natural serotonin food sources.

The list of serotonin-rich foods is a short one:

walnuts
hickory nuts
pineapple
bananas
kiwis
plums
tomatoes

The serotonin in food does not cross the blood-brain barrier, your brain’s security system for keeping out foreign substances.

So the serotonin found in food does not get into your brain and will not boost your mood.
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source
 
The "happy chemical" stuff bandied about regarding serotonin and dopamine is a VAST oversimplification, perhaps unsurprisingly given how little we still know about how the brain functions.

For example, overactivity in parts of the dopamine system can cause psychosis - naturally as in schizophrenia, or artificially as in stimulant psychosis (this is why meth addicts act the way they do).

Too much serotonin can cause serotonin syndrome, which is potentially life-threatening. While you are not going to get it from eating turkey or 5-HTP supplements, you can get it from antidepressant overdose or bad drug combos.

Be very, very wary of simple explanations of neurotransmitters, or really anything else involving the brain. The science is evolving rapidly and it is so complex that the popular press has very little prayer of understanding it or writing about it accurately.
 
twilightzone said:
The "happy chemical" stuff bandied about regarding serotonin and dopamine is a VAST oversimplification, perhaps unsurprisingly given how little we still know about how the brain functions.

For example, overactivity in parts of the dopamine system can cause psychosis - naturally as in schizophrenia, or artificially as in stimulant psychosis (this is why meth addicts act the way they do).

Too much serotonin can cause serotonin syndrome, which is potentially life-threatening. While you are not going to get it from eating turkey or 5-HTP supplements, you can get it from antidepressant overdose or bad drug combos.

Be very, very wary of simple explanations of neurotransmitters, or really anything else involving the brain. The science is evolving rapidly and it is so complex that the popular press has very little prayer of understanding it or writing about it accurately.
Click to expand...

Correct on all accounts, twilightzone. Even though the article did not advocate that "more is better" regarding Serotonin and Dopamine levels, it did not mention the serious

psychological conditions that can occur, with too much Serotonin or Dopamine.

Serotonin Syndrome is a condition worth avoiding, as is having excessive Dopamine.
 
Yes food sources are not able to pass seratonin through the blood brain barrier. for increasing seratonin you need a synthetic pill like prozac to modulate re-uptake or a natural for like st. johns wort. The sodium molecule blocks your receptor for seratonin allowing for greater experience from the same neurotransmitter (seratonin ) have a look at some other points I pulled from this research. More benefits to using nature's prozac than the synthetic. lol Study here > https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10454515
 
Interesting, thanks for your post. I see in your bio:
"Natural medicine researcher with a passion for isolating plant compounds", hence the user name "The alchemist" ;)
 
5-HTP is a supplement which can allegedly increase brain serotonin.

Be careful with St Johns Wort, it can interact with medications, sometimes quite seriously.
 

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