Library · Physiology
Neurotransmitter
Make it clearer
Neurotransmitters are chemicals the body itself makes so that neurons, the cells of the nervous system, can talk to each other.
The message travels by chemical synaptic transmission. The synapse is the point of contact between two neurons, and there is a tiny gap in between. The presynaptic neuron, the one sending the message, releases the neurotransmitter into that gap, and on the other side the postsynaptic neuron, the one receiving it, has receptors that pick it up. It is like handing someone a note over a fence: one lets go and the other picks it up. A message that jumps the gap between two cells and is received on the other side.
They do not all say the same thing. Glutamate is the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, the one that switches the next neuron on. GABA and glycine are the main inhibitory ones, the ones that switch it off. And dopamine is involved in learning, motor control, reward, and emotion.
In brief
Neurotransmitters are the body's own chemicals that let neurons communicate with one another.
The message travels by chemical synaptic transmission: the presynaptic neuron releases the neurotransmitter, which then acts on postsynaptic receptors.
A message that jumps the gap between two cells and is received on the other side.
Glutamate is the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, GABA and glycine are the main inhibitory ones, and dopamine is involved in learning, motor control, reward, and emotion.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingPhysiology, Neurotransmitters, StatPearlsPublished
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