Too many excitatory neurotransmitters produce excitotoxicity, causing nerve damage or cell death, the result of which triggers inflammation. Excess excitatory neurotransmitters can cause: Hyperactivity. Mood swings.
Numerous neurotransmitter imbalances may cause persistent health concerns: Anxiety & Depression: Imbalances are often associated with Glutamate (panic attacks), PEA, Histamine, Serotonin, as well as Epinephrine and Norepinephrine. Fatigue: An imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters is likely.
Research has shown that the levels of certain neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that send signals in the brain, can be linked to depression. One such neurotransmitter is serotonin, which plays a role in regulating mood, sleep, and appetite.
Most scientists believe that mental illnesses result from problems with the communication between neurons in the brain (neurotransmission). For example, the level of the neurotransmitter serotonin is lower in individuals who have depression. This finding led to the development of certain medications for the illness.
A neurotransmitter imbalance can cause Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, irritable bowel, hormone dysfunction, eating disorders, Fibromyalgia, obsessions, compulsions, adrenal dysfunction, chronic pain, migraine headaches, and even early death.
Epinephrine/Norepinephrine Norepinephrine is responsible for many of the symptoms of anxiety. These hormones and neurotransmitters are responsible for the adrenaline and energy that is pumped through your body when you're stressed or anxious, and cause changes like rapid heartbeat, sweating, etc.
People with ADHD have at least one defective gene, the DRD2 gene that makes it difficult for neurons to respond to dopamine, the neurotransmitter that is involved in feelings of pleasure and the regulation of attention.
There is no reliable test for a chemical imbalance in the brain. Symptoms of mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression may indicate some problems with the way the brain—including the chemicals in the brain—is functioning.
production of serotonin – serotonin is a hormone that affects your mood, appetite and sleep; a lack of sunlight may lead to lower serotonin levels, which is linked to feelings of depression.
To help their patients avoid neurotransmitter imbalance, many physicians recommend getting a neurotransmitter test done at regular intervals. Neurotransmitter tests are performed on the samples of the patient's saliva, blood, and urine.
What are the signs of a lack of serotonin and dopamine? Deficits in serotonin and dopamine can cause a host of signs and symptoms, including depressed mood, fatigue, lack of motivation, decreased sex drive, and difficulty concentrating.
A dopamine imbalance can cause depression symptoms, such as apathy and feelings of hopelessness, while a serotonin imbalance can affect the processing of emotions.
Serotonin is a chemical that the body produces naturally. It's needed for the nerve cells and brain to function. But too much serotonin causes signs and symptoms that can range from mild (shivering and diarrhea) to severe (muscle rigidity, fever and seizures). Severe serotonin syndrome can cause death if not treated.
Chemical Imbalance Treatment Options
Eat foods rich in vitamin D, such as tuna, salmon, beef liver, and egg yolks, or get out and spend some time in the sun. Your healthcare provider may be able to recommend some herbal medications you can try to manage your body chemistry.
Prolonged periods of stress can deplete serotonin levels. Our fast-paced, fast food society greatly contributes to these imbalances. Genetic factors, faulty metabolism, and digestive issues can impair the absorption and breakdown of our food which reduces our ability to build serotonin.
Some believe it is unlikely that antidepressants cause any permanent changes to brain chemistry in the long term. The evidence seems to indicate that these medications cause brain changes that only persist while the medication is being taken or in the weeks following withdrawal.
Neuroendocrine and Neurotransmitter Pathways
Increased activity in emotion-processing brain regions in patients who have an anxiety disorder could result from decreased inhibitory signaling by γ-amino-butyric-acid (GABA) or increased excitatory neurotransmission by glutamate.
It's often said that depression results from a chemical imbalance, but that figure of speech doesn't capture how complex the disease is. Research suggests that depression doesn't spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals.
If your child has ADHD, they may have low levels of a brain chemical called dopamine. That's part of a mix of their genes, environment, and brain function that experts believe may cause ADHD.
ADHD is associated with abnormally low levels of the neurotransmitters transmitting between the prefrontal cortical area and the basal ganglia i.e., dopamine and noradrenaline. Dopamine is closely associated with reward centers in the brain, and also interacts with other potent neurotransmitters to regulate mood.
As you know, one trademark of ADHD is low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine — a chemical released by nerve cells into the brain. Due to this lack of dopamine, people with ADHD are "chemically wired" to seek more, says John Ratey, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
It's not just serotonin either - most neurotransmitters influence anxiety in some way, and in some cases an overabundance of a chemical can lead to anxiety. If you have anxiety you can also develop chemical imbalances that were not previously present, because anxiety affects your brain chemicals.
Norepinephrine (NE) is responsible for fear and anger emotions that trigger “fight or flight” response; fear and anger are classified as one core emotion—the stressful emotion—like two sides of the same coin.
However, epinephrine is the primary chemical because it is directly involved in your anxiety symptoms. When you experience an anxious moment, the amount of epinephrine circulating in your body will instantly increase in response to whatever has triggered your anxiety.