Brain chemistry chemicals

I ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I just went through a depression, but now I m feeling better. The problem with bipolar is that when you are treated for depression it can set off a manic episode. I have to be really careful. I ve been hospitalized four times with manic episodes. I was told by a doctor that my bipolar disorder is an imbalance in brain chemistry caused by chemical exposures. 

Structure is also essential in complex biological molecules. A lot of medicines used for psychiatric illnesses such as depression rely on their ability to interact with certain proteins in the brain. For instance, a class of antidepressants—medications that alleviate the symptoms of depression—act on proteins involved with the collection (reuptake) of the chemical serotonin, and they are known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). This class of antidepressants includes Prozac and Zoloft. Earlier medications were also effective and are still sometimes used though they produce a number of side effects, such as dietary problems. Although an SSRI can also generate potentially dangerous side effects, psychiatrists tend to observe these effects less often. (Brain chemistry is the subject of chapter 3.)... 

Dopamine and other brain chemicals profoundly influence the way people think and feel. Variability in these chemicals, particularly in the way they are regulated, affects a person s mental health, response to medication, propensity for or against danger, and other behaviors. A greater understanding of brain chemistry will not only provide more insight into what it means to be human, it will also lead to superior treatments and preventative measures to some of the most serious problems plaguing society. 

The piperazines influence brain function through their effects on brain chemistry at different receptors, or specialized locations within nerves allowing them to communicate with each other through chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. By stimulating different groups and locations of nerve cells that contain a specific neurotransmitter called serotonin, piperazine derivatives can have varied, profound effects on mood, learning, perceptions, and movement. 

For years, scientists have known that cocaine interferes with the brain s dopamine system. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter—a chemical that passes nerve impulses from one nerve cell to another, and dopamine is associated with movement, emotional response, and the ability to experience pleasure. Research indicates that serotonin transporters are also inactivated with cocaine use. Serotonin is another neurotransmitter, and adequate levels are associated with well-being. Low levels of serotonin in the brain have been linked to depression. Inactivation of dopamine and serotonin transporters leads to receptor over-stimulation and the high. Continued use of cocaine can result in long-term changes in the brain chemistry as receptors decrease in number. These changes can be persistent and even irreversible, and may be responsible for the feeling of depression that lasts long after withdrawal. 

The active ingredient of St. John s wort is a substance called hyperforin. Like other antidepressants, hyperforin appears to work by helping to restore the proper balance to brain chemistry. In particular, hyperforin helps restore the balance of certain neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers, in the brain. These neurotransmitters include serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. 

The fact is that, as the science fiction writer Norman Spinrad says, "psychochemistry [has] created states of consciousness that had never existed before." Taking a psychedelic dramatically changes the traditional notions of "free will. Spinrad s view is that "psycho-chemicals are a declaration of independence from the minds we were born with, and that hence "we will no longer be able to count on our naturally evolved brain chemistry as a benchmark of sanity. ... 

Phenylethylamine is known as the love drug and is thought to be the reason why chocolate is said to be an aphrodisiac. It is a chemical that mimics the brain chemistry of a person in love, so when levels of phenylethylamine are high in the body it relieves depression from unrequited love. This is one of the reasons so many women love chocolate - it really changes mood of person. 

Greater understanding of the use of these neurochemicals and the newer medications that enhance this response is helping to maximize what we know about the brain, thereby enabling the restoration of normal brain chemistry. When a neurotransmitter s level is too high or too low (by as little as 5 or 10%), it can affect the way other neurotransmitters work (Kotulak, 1997) and can trigger a major chemical chain reaction that affects or contributes to a range of mental health behaviors. 

So in Step One, you ll find out what kind of diet your brain-chemistry type requires, as well as the exercise, daily schedule, and sleep patterns that can help keep your brain chemicals in balance. Even if you ve never been diagnosed with depression or don t think of yourself as depressed, you can benefit from identifying your particular brain-chemistry needs and then following the recommendations in Step One. 

When I first explained my three-step program to my patient Melanie, she balked at considering her depression in terms of brain chemistry. I hate thinking of myself as just a collection of chemicals, she told me bluntly. I d like to feel as though I had more control over my life and emotions than that. Put in one chemical, and I ll react one way put in another chemical and I ll react another way —it makes me feel as though I m just some puppet, some victim of my own brain. ... 

In some cases, this may be the right solution. Some people need the extra support that medication can provide to make it through a rough time or to combat what may be a lifelong tendency to depression. As we saw in Chapter 2, depression corresponds to an imbalance in brain chemistry, whether that imbalance results from a long-term pattern, childhood experience, genetic inheritance, or a specific situation. Whatever the cause, sometimes you just need medication to help restore your chemical balance. 

Certainly, the Western vision of brain chemistry had much to offer, I told Jeff, But the Ayurvedic approach extends this scientific view with rich imagery that offers a multidimensional approach to treatment. Doctors who restrict themselves to a purely chemically oriented view limit their treatment options to the very medications from which Jeff was now trying to get free. While these medications might be useful, I believed they should be supplemented with broader and more variegated responses,... 

In 1890 the philosopher, William James, said that, Chemical action must of course accompany brain activity but little is known of its exact nature. The spectrophotofluo-rometer made it possible to begin to link brain chemistry and behavior. 

Albert Einstein wrote, Man has within him a lust for hatred and destruction. In normal times, this passion exists in a latent state, it emerges only in unusual circumstances, but it is a comparatively easy task to call it into play and raise it to the power of a collective psychosis. Is there a measurable brain chemistry of wisdom and virtue Is there a darkness at the core of human nature, and, if so, can it be characterized and corrected chemically Humans are strong intellectually but weak emotionally. We have difficulty in relationships with others who are culturally different. Intellectual activities are often impaired by emotions that ruin relationships with other people. 

Molecular imaging of the chemical processes in the human brain can define the chemistry of excessively aggressive behavior and identify the brain chemistry related to the instincts of friendship, love, kindness, and charity. 

The brain chemistry of happiness can now be a focus of biological research, just as it has become a part of economic theory, sociology, psychology, and psychiatry. Jeremy Bentham defined happiness in terms of utility, i.e., the sum of good emotions minus the bad. Human beings strive by their actions to increase pleasure and avoid pain. We can measure and correlate objective measurements of brain chemical processes with the emotions of pleasure, fear, and pain, and perhaps modify the undesirable brain chemistry when it is not helpful. Simple, probe radiation detectors can be used in many of these studies. 

What should be done when a person who has not committed a crime but whose brain scans reveal chemical characteristics that have been correlated with a high risk for antisocial behavior Should they have counseling at regular intervals Or should they take medications to modify their brain chemistry What should be done if they refuse counseling or treatment with drugs ... 

Positron emission tomography (PET) is another imaging technique that employs radioactive tracers to image brain activity. PET can detect and map the presence of glucose, neurotransmitters, and a dozen other chemicals critical to brain function. Subtle changes in brain structure or function that correlate to diseases have been used to distinguish brain chemistry changes associated with Alzheimer s disease, schizophrenia, alcoholism, anxiety disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder. PET can also be used to detect emotional responses and perceptions of emotion. 

FIGURE 1.1 (a) Brain chemistry in the human head. Although I am using Einstein s head, these molecules exist in all brains (designed by M. Michman and executed by Ms Z. Cohen copyrighted by the author), (b) A map of emotional organs in the brain. Adapted with permission from Chemical Engineering News, June 2, 2003, p. 36. 

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