Neurotransmitter
From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history
Neurotransmitters are endogenous chemical messengers that transmit signals between neurons, or from neurons to other cells.[1] Neurotransmitters may transmit signals across neuromuscular junctions, between muscle cells, gland cells, and immune cells.
Over 100 substances that act as neurotransmitters to have been identified. The most common are:
- Amino acids: glutamate, aspartate, D-serine, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine
- Gasotransmitters: nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S)
- Monoamines: dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (noradrenaline; NE, NA), epinephrine (adrenaline), histamine, serotonin (SER, 5-HT)
- Trace amines: phenethylamine, N-methylphenethylamine, tyramine, 3-iodothyronamine, octopamine, tryptamine, etc.
- Peptides: somatostatin, substance P, cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript, opioid peptides
- Purines: adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine
- Others: acetylcholine (ACh), anandamide, etc.
- ↑ Wilkinson, Michael; Brown, Richard E., eds. (2015). "Neurotransmitters". An Introduction to Neuroendocrinology. Cambridge University Press. pp. 79–114. ISBN 978-0-521-80647-3.