Dopamine and Serotonin

Dopamine
Dopamine transmits an impulse from a nerve cell to another nerve cell, organ or tissue. As such it is important for muscle activity. It is what sends the “message” of performing activity from the brain to the tissue. But, apart from this, Dopamine does another interesting job. It is responsible for feelings of pleasure, anger, excitement, motivation and euphoria.

A research conducted proved that dopamine levels are markedly high in individuals during their first days of “falling in love.” The “floating-on-air” or “everything is rosy” feeling most lovers have at the onset of a relationship is attributed to high levels of dopamine. Dopamine’s use in the treatment of Parkinson’s has long been discussed and proved, since one of its functions is to control and carry out movement. However, dopamine is increasingly being used to treat depression and bring about feelings of euphoria and excitement.

Dopamine in various forms is in the family of drugs like cocaine or methamphetamine that act as stimulants and thus are used and abused as drugs by humans. All the functions of dopamine are still to be mapped, currently researchers are of the opinion that is seems to be present almost everywhere in the brain.

Serotonin
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter and controls and plays a major role in emotions such as anger and aggression as well as mood, sleep, sexuality and metabolism. People with higher levels of serotonin are known to be more aggressive and easily get flared up. Because it affects all the above aspects of the human body and life, serotonin is used in the treatment of disorders or conditions arising from the same like anxiety and panic related disorders, premature ejaculation, psychosis, insomnia and even some personality disorders.

Serotonin in a specific form is a class of anti-depressants used to treat the above mentioned disorders. As an anti-depressant, serotonin can alter moods.The latest research also points out that serotonin is instrumental in the creation of new brain cells. Depression is often attributed to suppression of production of new cells in the brain, hence anti depressants that stimulate production of serotonin, can help in generation of new cells. However the cause-effect relationship between Serotonin and Depression are yet to be ascertained. Doctors and researchers are yet to figure whether low levels of serotonin cause depression or depression leads to a drop in serotonin levels. A link has been established however that those who suffer from depression have low serotonin levels in the blood.

Although serotonin is not directly used in any drugs, drugs like LSD or Ecstasy are known to cause what is the Serotonin Syndrome, in which the levels of serotonin become too high. This can also be caused by an overdose of anti depressants belonging to the serotonin class. Serotonin Syndrome can cause symptoms of nausea, vomiting, hallucinations, increased heart rate, muscle spasms, etc. These symptoms show up within minutes or hours and the patient will need to be hospitalized with a medical emergency. If on medications like Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) or Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI), then it is best not to doctor oneself and leave it to the experts.