Human brain chemistry

Because of the lack of good experimental data in human brain chemistry, our presentation is limited to the use of carefully chosen normalized experimental parameters in order to reproduce the basic static and dynamic characteristics of this coupled enzymes system. 

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. 

Howard, Pierce J. The Owner s Manual for the Brain Everyday Applications from Mind-Brain Research, 3rd ed. Austin, Tex. Bard Press, 2006. With scientific research as its starting point, this book discusses how the present state of knowledge in brain science can have a practical impact on human lives. A wide variety of topics are discussed, including brain chemistry, the effects of drugs, brain disorders, learning and memory, and much else. 

Other frontiers of chemistry take researchers into hidden realms. One of these areas is the human skull, which houses three pounds (1.4 kg) of one of the most complex substances in the universe—the human brain. Chemical investigations of the brain have taken even longer to develop than other fields of chemistry, due to the relative inaccessibility of brain tissue. Yet researchers are making strides in this difficult field, including the development of medications to alleviate disorders such as depression and drug abuse, as explained in chapter 3. 

Medicinal chemistry has many examples of the development of successful therapeutics based on an exploration of endogenous compounds. The treatment of diabetes mellitus, for example, is based upon the administration of insulin, the hormone that is functionally deficient in this disease. The current treatment of Parkinson s disease is based upon the observation that the symptoms of Parkinson s disease arise from a deficiency of dopamine, an endogenous molecule within the human brain. Since dopamine cannot be given as a drug since it fails to cross the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain, its biosynthetic precursor, L-DOPA, has been successfully developed as an anti-Parkinson s drug. Analogously, the symptoms of Alzheimer s disease arise from a relative deficiency of acetylcholine within the brain. Current therapies for Alzheimer s-type dementia are based upon the administration of cholinesterase... 

Soukup J., Zauner A., Doppenberg E. M., et al. (2002) Relationship between brain temperature, brain chemistry and oxygen delivery after severe human head injury the effect of mild hypothermia. Neurol. Res. 24, 161-168. 

Scientists investigating drugs and the reward system learned a great deal from studies with rats. Because the chemistry of the human brain and that of the rat brain are similar, they believe that the process of drug addiction may be the same for both. Other animals, such as nonhuman primates, are also studied by addiction researchers because these animals can also become addicted to drugs of abuse like humans, and this addiction can be studied in the laboratory. 

Some researchers believe the reason some abused children develop MPD may have a biological basis. Studies of how brain chemistry affects memory indicate that when an intensely traumatic experience occurs, the brain s neurochemicals may be released in such large amounts they influence the area of the brain responsible for memory to pigeonhole what is remembered into separate compartments. Depending on their individual brain chemistry, some human beings may be better able to disassociate than others. About a third of people with MPD have complex partial seizures of the right temporal lobe of the brain. Some researchers think this form of epilepsy might also affect memory and be yd another cause for the disorder. 

We shall not elaborate on this topic here because the chemistry of the brain is scarcely known [15]. The brain processes the information and reacts accordingly, sending instructions through nerves and then transmitters produced by glands that link to the calcium network. It is also curious to note that the brain is immersed in a special protective fluid - the cerebrospinal fluid - the composition of which differs somewhat from the other external body biological fluids [7,15]. The form in which the human brain works requires a quite new approach to the use of energy and the environment in the chemistry associated with organisms. 

It is difficult to exaggerate the complexity of the human brain s chemistry and functions, many of which are only beginning to be understood. Much is still undiscovered. 

Neurochemistry refers to the chemical processes that occur in the brain and nervous system. The fact that one can read this text, remember what has been read, and even breathe during the entire time that these events take place relies on the amazing chemistry that occurs in the human brain and the nerve cells with which it communicates. 

Depression is a holistic illness that affects every aspect of who we are as human beings. It only makes sense to address it from every available angle, both with regard to our bodies and brain chemistry and vis-i-vis our psyches and spirits. So in this book, I offer you a revolutionary model for treating depression, one that integrates physical, mental, and spiritual approaches to help you discover the chemistry of joy —that mysterious mix of body, mind, and spirit that Thoreau called the condition of life. ... 

Brain size and chemistry are strongly influenced by genes. Language and other cognitive functions evolved over millions of years, while the size of human brain tripled. Microcephaly is a disease characterized by a 70% reduction in brain size. It results from a mutation of the spindle-like microcephaly associated (ASPM) gene (Lahn,2005). There is a failure of separation of chromosomes during meiosis, the process where one diploid eukaryotic cell divides into four haploid cells, called gametes. Persons with microcephaly have a small cerebral cortex and often suffer from mental retardation. 

In 1983,1 wrote, One of the most intriguing problems in biomedical research today is that of relating manifestations of neuropsychiatric disease to chemical processes in different parts of the brain. .. Much of what we know about the brain is based on the study of animals. The proper study of mankind is man. Animal models may not reflect normal or diseased human beings. With molecular imaging, we can address the questions what is happening in the chemistry of the human brain in relation to mental activity Why is it happening And how is it happening ... 

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. 

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