Highlights
- Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that help regulate everything in your body, from breathing to your mood and behavior.
- Neurotransmitters are known to be linked to psychiatric disorders. There are many neurotransmitters that can affect your mood, well-being, motivation, and overall mental health.
- Certain neurotransmitters help regulate mood and, in some cases, can contribute to depression and anxiety symptoms.
- Psychiatric medications, such as antidepressants, can impact neurotransmitters and improve your mood and overall mental health.
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that are crucial for nearly all bodily functions. Your nervous system contains nerves that spread throughout your entire body, and neurotransmitters send and receive electrical signals all day and night, keeping your body functioning.
But neurotransmitters don’t just keep your body moving like a well-oiled machine. They can also affect your appetite, mood, sleep, cognitive function, ability to handle stress, social behavior, and mental health. So, when you don’t have a good balance of neurotransmitters, you may develop a mental health condition. The good news is that help is available to get you back to feeling your best.
See a licensed medical provider for an online mental health assessment.
How Do Neurotransmitters Work?
Here is a brief overview of the process:
- A neurotransmitter — and there are dozens of types — is a chemical that originates in a nerve cell, also called a neuron.
- A nerve cell sends an impulse, showing the need to deliver a message to another cell.
- The impulse stimulates the release of a certain neurotransmitter.
- The neurotransmitter hops across the synapse.
- The neurotransmitter attaches to specific receptors on the target cell, meaning the message has been delivered.
In simple terms, neurotransmitters help your cells communicate with each other, whether that means your muscles move, lungs are inflated with oxygen, a new memory is made, or a sensation is experienced.
Types of Neurotransmitters
Over 100 types of neurotransmitters have been identified, and more are being found. These neurotransmitters are divided into three main categories according to their function, though some — like dopamine and serotonin — can act differently, depending on what is needed.
Type | Function | Examples |
Inhibitory Neurotransmitters | These are the ones that calm your system because they decrease the likelihood that the target cell will act. | Serotonin and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) |
Excitatory Neurotransmitters | These are the types that rev up your system. They increase the likelihood that the receiving cell will act. | Glutamate and acetylcholine |
Modulatory Neurotransmitters | These types can simultaneously communicate with numerous neurons and can fine-tune the activity of other neurotransmitters. | Norepinephrine |
Neurotransmitters and Mood Regulation
In addition to various bodily functions, neurotransmitters also play an important role in mental health and have been consistently linked to different mental health conditions. They can shape your mood and how you generally feel about your life. When one or more neurotransmitters are not in balance, you can feel depressed, anxious, emotionally unstable, or stressed.
Specialists in psychiatry have found that neurotransmitters can affect your mood in varying ways. For example, serotonin, often referred to as the calming chemical, can impact your mood. Sufficient amounts of serotonin can produce a stable mood; insufficient levels
Can Neurochemical Imbalances Be Diagnosed?
Diagnosing a neurochemical imbalance — either too much or not enough of a neurotransmitter — isn’t quite simple. Currently, there are no lab tests that can give you a diagnosis. Your doctor can give you a blood test to see what your levels of dopamine, serotonin, or other neurotransmitters are, but that doesn’t give much information. You may have enough of the neurotransmitter in your blood, but that doesn’t mean your brain has enough, or that certain neurochemicals are being used efficiently.
To be accurately diagnosed with a neurochemical imbalance, you will need to spend some time talking with your doctor. They may discuss your personal medical history and your family history as well. They may run tests to rule out low vitamin levels or thyroid disorders.
If you have any mental health symptoms, they will be assessed accordingly, whether they are caused by possible neurotransmitter imbalance or not.
How Are Neurotransmitter Imbalances Treated?
There are several options available to help adjust the levels of neurotransmitters. Each person is different, so it may take some trial and error to find an approach that works for you. Common approaches to treatment include different types of medications, while the treatment of mental health conditions may also require talk therapy.
Medication
These pharmaceutical solutions are used to alter the amount of neurotransmitters that are in your brain. Their types include, but are not limited to:
- Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs): These lead to an increase in the levels of several neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, norepinephrine, or serotonin, which can help with panic attacks or depression.
- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): These increase the amount of serotonin in your brain, helping to relieve depression and anxiety.
- Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs): These medications increase the levels of norepinephrine and serotonin in your brain, which can improve depressive symptoms.
- Serotonin-norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs): These medications improve levels of both serotonin and norepinephrine in your brain, and can help treat depression and anxiety and improve mood.
- Norepinephrine-dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors (NRDIs): These medications lead to an increase in norepinephrine and dopamine in your brain, which can help improve your mood and reduce your feelings of stress.
Therapy and Lifestyle Changes
Focusing on things you can do yourself, such as better sleep and more exercise, can also be helpful, especially when combined with medication. Types of therapies and lifestyle changes include:
- Cognitive-behavioral Therapy (CBT): This is a type of talk therapy where your therapist can help you reframe negative thoughts and change your belief systems when they are not serving you.
- Mindfulness: Practicing mindfulness, where you become aware, in a non-judgmental way, of how you are feeling and thinking, can lead to behavior change and
improve symptoms of depression and anxiety[2] . - Meditation: It helps you focus on the mind-body connection and has been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation can produce feelings of calmness and peace, can lower stress, and improve your overall well-being.
- Journaling: This can help you become aware of your own negative self-talk or self-defeating thoughts. Awareness is the first step to making changes.
Neurotransmitters Related to Mental Health
There is some connection between mental health disorders and neurotransmitters. The following is a table detailing the most well-known neurotransmitters associated with these conditions, and how their imbalances are usually treated.
|
Neurotransmitter |
Associated Functions |
Related Conditions |
Treatment Options |
|
Serotonin |
Regulates appetite, mood, sleep, sexual functions |
Depression, anxiety, panic disorder |
SSRIs, SNRIs |
|
|
Regulates mood and emotions, required for memory and learning |
Anxiety, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder |
N-acetylcysteine (NAC), topiramate |
|
Dopamine |
Regulates reward-seeking behavior, pleasure, motivation, satisfaction |
ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression |
MAOIs, NRDIs |
|
Natural pain relievers, lower stress, regulate well-being overall |
Depression, anxiety, addiction, sleep issues, impulsivity |
Exercise, massage, antidepressants |
|
|
Regulates the fight-or-flight response |
Depression, anxiety, ADHD, sleep and memory issues |
SNRIs, NRDIs |
|
|
Epinephrine |
Also regulates the fight-or-flight response |
Sleep disorders, anxiety |
Low epinephrine is treated depending on its underlying cause |
|
Regulates memory |
Alzheimer’s disease |
Cholinesterase inhibitors |
|
|
GABA |
Regulates feelings of calmness or anxiety, mood stabilizer |
Depression, anxiety, ADHD, insomnia, schizophrenia, autism |
To Conclude
There are numerous important molecules needed for healthy brain function. When not enough of them are produced or used efficiently in your brain, it can result in mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. While scientists are still researching the details of the complex connections between neurotransmitters and mental health, there is help available now. Book your consultation with a licensed medical provider at MEDvidi to get personalized support and treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What neurotransmitters are associated with mental illness?
What neurotransmitters affect anxiety and depression?
Why is the balance of neurotransmitters important for mental health?
What are the symptoms of a neurotransmitter imbalance?
The symptoms of a neurotransmitter imbalance depend on which neurotransmitter is affected, and whether there is too much or too little of the chemical available. Common symptoms include depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and mood disorders.
Which neurotransmitter is responsible for personality disorders?
While personality disorder is a complex issue and is still being investigated by scientists, some research has found that dysregulation of serotonin, dopamine, and epinephrine may be
What neurotransmitter causes bipolar disorder?
While scientists have not learned the exact cause of this complex mental condition, there are several neurotransmitters that tend to be associated with it. Dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine are
