Understanding neurotransmitters synapses and the areas of th

Understanding neurotransmitters, synapses, and the areas of the nervous system can be difficult to organize and understand. The best way to get a firm grasp on the concepts is to discuss them in terms of application. The book discusses many neurotransmitters and how their mear presence or absence can be the cause of disease. For example, Parkinson\'s disease and the minimal dopamine neurotransmitter or depression with serotonin. These diseases have been treated with drugs that increase dopamine in the substantia nigra of the brain, or respectively with serotonin re-uptake inhibitors which leaves the serotonin in the synaptic gap longer to allow the cell to pick up more serotonin. The book also explains how damage to specific areas of the brain can cause impairments depending upon the function of that area. For example, damage to broca\'s area of the frontal lobe can cause Broca\'s aphasia, giving symptoms of poorly articulated speech and reluctancy to speak.

Please discuss one of the diseases that relates to neurotransmitter presence or absence or how damage to specific areas of the brain can cause impairments (i.e. aphasias, ataxia, etc.) Please relate any personal experiences with these diseases or impairments and include a description of how they affect cellular communication or the area of the brain. This discussion is designed to help you organize and understand the vast concepts that occur in this module so please try to pick different concepts.

Solution

The irregularities in dosage and functioning of neurotransmitters such as acetyl choline, adrenaline, dopamine, serotonin have been due to gene mutations. The inherited changes due to mutation leads to changes in voltage gated channels. The voltage gated channels, Nav, Kv, Cav possess pores for the passage sodium, potassium and calcium ions during depolarization, repolarization and hyperpolarization. Nav channels play a role in generation and propagation of action potential on a neuron and Kav channels play a role in resting membrane potential and repolarize the neurons. These gated channels are made up of subunits of proteins. The potassium gated channels have been classified based on the amino acid composition of its subunits. The change in the amino acid composition of subunits leads to abnormal firing of excitory stimuli. Potassium channels irregularities due to gene mutations lead to central nervous system diseases as the potassium channels have been distributed widely in the brain. The changes in the potassium gated channels leads to irregularities in action potential duration and release of neurotransmitters. The increase in potassium gated channels leads to increased excitability, leads to very fast repolarization and irregular calcium homeostasis which leads to epilepsy and seizures. Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism are few of the neuropsychiatric diseases observed due to improper irregular release of neurotransmitters.