Serotonin Essays

  • Serotonin and Its Uses

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    Serotonin and Its Uses Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is a neurotransmitter in the brain that has an enormous influence over many brain functions. It is synthesized, from the amino acid L-tryptophan, in brain neurons and stored in vesicles. Serotonin is found in three main areas of the body: the intestinal wall; large constricted blood vessels; and the central nervous system. The most widely studied effects have been those on the central nervous system. The functions of serotonin are

  • The Serotonin Syndrome

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even the most clueless among us know about “ecstasy” today; thanks to news and the media who have labeled it a “thrill pill” and “love drug,” and proclaimed it America’s newest “drug problem.” Although many therapists are praising it, researchers are also knocking it. All together, they have found that ecstasy, a drug similar to MDMA, has short and long term effects on the brain that vary from person to person. Ecstasy is a street term for a range of drugs that are similar in structure to Methylenedioxymethamphetamine

  • Commonality of Synesthesia Induced by Serotonin

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    this paper I will look at studies in which serotonin appears to play a key role across not only developmental synesthesia, but also drug-induced and acquired, suggesting that there are underlying mechanisms which make synesthesia readily accessible to more people than what was once believed. Brang and his colleague Ramachandran propose that “serotonin S2a receptors are the ‘synesthesia receptors’ in the b... ... middle of paper ... ...presence of serotonin. Nonetheless, the discovery that individuals

  • Serotonin & Depression

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    Serotonin & Depression In the brainstem, the most primitive part of the brain, lie clusters of serotonin neurons. The nerve fiber terminals of the serotonergic neurons extend all throughout the central nervous system from the cerebral cortex to the spinal cord. This neurotransmitter is responsible for controlling fundamental physiological aspects of the body. In the central nervous system (CNS), serotonin has widespread and often profound implications, including a role in sleep, appetite, memory

  • The Effect of Serotonin on the Brain in Suicide Patients

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Effect of Serotonin on the Brain in Suicide Patients While this writer had some rudimentary knowledge of the impact serotonin had on the brain, "Why? The Neuroscience of Suicide" by Carol Ezzell piqued my curiosity on the role levels of serotonin and the process by which it is absorbed in the brain affect suicidal patients. This article was recently posted on the Neurology and Behavior website as supplemental reading for neurology and behavior's spring semester 2003 class. In this article

  • Serotonin Essay

    551 Words  | 2 Pages

    Various Benefits of Serotonin Basically, serotonin levels will provide various benefits regarded to health and mental. It is also called feel good chemical which will apply benefits to both biological and psychological functions. Most of this supplement’s application is found primarily in digestive tract and blood plates. Only small amount of this supplement will be served for its purpose in central nervous systems and brains. If users says that they are in way to achieve serotonin levels, then it is

  • Biological Causes Of Depression Essay

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    leads to the possibility of overlap and linkage between the two. The depletion of the levels of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine in the central nervous system is a theory used to explain depression, called the monoamine hypothesis of depression (Delgado, P. L., 2000). This came about with the early development

  • Ecstasy

    2453 Words  | 5 Pages

    a subculture in America and all over the world of "ravers" who spend their weekends taking this unique drug because of its seemingly mind- expanding properties. The truth about this drug is that it fools the body's senses by releasing too much serotonin and possibly permanently damaging important nerve cells in the process. Many studies claim that MDMA cannot be considered a narcotic because they believe it to be non-addictive. The body becomes accustomed to a substance, a criterion for addiction

  • Can the Source of Aggression be Found in the Brain?

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    these males (2). In Finland, studies were conducted on males who also displayed uncontrollable behavior, and the findings demonstrated that the men possessed a neurotransmitter substance deficiency, particularly in the messenger serotonin (3). This lack of serotonin has been linked to aggressive behavior: some violent prone individuals did not effectively break down these substances All around the globe, people have attempted to find an organic, genetic basis for aggressive behavior. Several

  • The Relationship between Food Choice and Stress

    835 Words  | 2 Pages

    Therefore in this essay the following question will be answered, if stress has any influence on the food choice women makes based on the research conducted by Summar Habhab Jane P. Sheldon, Roger C. Loeb and how stress affects the function of hormone serotonin. Body: The method of this experiment: The experiment conducted by Summer Habjab, Jane P. Sheldon, Roger C. Loeb made high and low stressing conditions to test if the food choice among the 40 women differs if they were placed in different stress leveled

  • Violent Behavior and the Brain

    1625 Words  | 4 Pages

    Violent Behavior and the Brain - Do we know it all? The DMZ, which runs through Central Vietnam is a place where undisputed violence was unleashed for over a decade in the late sixties and early seventies. During the year that I worked in Vietnam, I often returned to this spot to watch the American Veterans, who would stand at the top of Marble Mountain, withered, with vacant stares out towards the stretch of beach known only to the Americans as China. It was mystifying to consider the sharp

  • Psychoactive Drugs and Their Effect on Consciousness

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stimulants." NIDA for Teens: The Science Behind Drug Abuse. NIDA, 2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. . "Psychdelic Uses." Psychedelic Adventure. 2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. . Trulson ME, Ross CA, Jacobs BL. “Behavioral Evidence For The Stimulation Of Cns Serotonin Receptors By High Doses Of LSD”. Psychopharmacology Communications. 1976;2(2):149-164. WHO. "Scientific Facts on Psychoactive Drugs Tobacco, Alcohol, and Illicit Substances." GreenFacts - Facts on Health and the Environment. Green Facts, 2006

  • Depression: Causes or Effects?

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    spirit of "working backwards," I will explore this end product. Perhaps the most popularized end-product of depression is the monoamine depletion or disturbance that is commonly detected in depressed persons. Serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine have been identified as the main culprits, serotonin and norepinephrine being the most suspect. "Among the findings linking impoverished synaptic norepinephrine levels to depression is the discovery in may studies that indirect markers of norepinephrine levels

  • A solution to the weight-loss puzzle

    2794 Words  | 6 Pages

    capsule or a drink mix. It should be taken between meals (at least 30 minutes before each meal) to prevent its interaction with other amino acids and to ensure its effectiveness. HOW DOES 5-HTP WORK? A deficiency in the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) has been linked with a number of behaviors mentioned above. It has especially been associated with carbohydrate craving because eating carbohydrates is one way to briefly increase the brain’s level of 5-HT. This occurs because carbohydrates

  • The Effects of Hallucinogenic Drugs on The Brain

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Effects of Hallucinogenic Drugs on The Brain Hallucinnogenic Drugs alter a person's perceptions of reality and may cause hallucinations and other alterations of the senses. Drugs classified as hallucinogens include: LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetime(DOM), N,N-dimethyltrptamine(DMT), psilocin, and mescaline. There are two aspects of these drugs that classify then as hallucinogens. They all have common side effects, including distortion of sensory perception

  • Psilocybin Research Paper

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    dephosphorylated into psilocin which is responsible for creating the “trip” or high that people experience. The chemical then travels to the brain where it begins to prevent the reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin, increasing its activity. Also, because psilocin is structurally similar to serotonin, it binds to receptors, amplifying the effects. This is what ultimately causes the hallucinations however, technically it is more of an overwhelming distortion of typical senses creating unrealistic perception

  • Aggression Essay

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    aggression has found that when biological substances, such as neurotransmitters and hormones, are capable of inhibiting or facilitating aggression in lower animals. Aggression in humans and animals has been linked to serotonin function (Bethea, Reddy, Robertson & Coleman, 2013). Serotonin is known as nature’s “feel-good” chemical. It is the most widely distributed and most widely studied neurotransmitter in t... ... middle of paper ... ...an aggressive social encounter can cause changes in the brain

  • The Spirit Molecule (DMT): An Endogenous Psychoactive

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Spirit Molecule (DMT): An Endogenous Psychoactive "The feeling of doing DMT is as though one had been struck by noetic lightning. The ordinary world is almost instantaneously replaced, not only with a hallucination, but a hallucination whose alien character is its utter alienness. Nothing in this world can prepare one for the impressions that fill your mind when you enter the DMT sensorium."- McKenna. N,N-dimethyltryptamine(DMT) is a psychoactive chemical in the tryptamine family, which

  • MDMA

    691 Words  | 2 Pages

    Emission Tomography (PET) B. In the experiment, they chose 15 people all of relative age and education who had done MDMA recently and 15 who hadn't done MDMA. C. PET images showed significant reductions in the number of serotonin transporters. D. MDMA induced brain serotonin neurotoxicisity for the persistent memory problems present in MDMA users. Basics 1. "Designer Drugs" A. Description- still contains psychoactive properties of said drug , but molecular structure has been changed

  • Mechanisms by which a Psychoactive Drug May Exert Influence on Neural Processing

    1423 Words  | 3 Pages

    attaches to the receptor site and is reabsorbed by the neuron so it can be used again to pass along another action potential. They can be categorised as one of six types: acetylcholine, amino acids, neuropeptides such as endorphins, monoamines such as serotonin and dopamine, purines and lipids and gases (Cherry K, 2014). Psychoactive drugs are classified into five different groups depending on how they affect the brain. In this essay I will be looking at three of these groups: stimulants, depressants and