Posted by allisonm on April 1, 2002, at 0:21:48
In reply to Biology(?) 101: a basic, embarassing question:, posted by Janelle on March 30, 2002, at 23:57:08
I didn't answer your questions very well re' receptors. I am no expert, but from what I understand, there are three primary chemicals that affect mood in the brain: serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine. There are receptors in the neurons of the brain that only respond to an individual chemical (I think). The ADs work because they block the reuptake of specific chemicals in your brain -- be it serotonin, norepinephrine, or dopamine -- so that the particular chemical stays in your brain longer. Many ADs work on more than one of the three. Some work strongly on one chemical and weakly on another. They also work on very very specific receptors having to do with particular brain chemicals. It can be a guessing game to figure out what kind of imbalance a person has. Pdocs usually start with an SSRI first for depression because many people seem to respond well to having more serotonin circulating in their brains. Others can't stand more serotonin, but respond well to changes in levels of dopamine or norepinephrine or a combo of two or all three. So yes, there are specific receptors for these specific chemicals (even specific aspects of chemicals such as 5HT receptors or whatever they are called) and the drugs affect their rate of reuptake. I know this is simplistic. I hope it is accurate and that it helps.
poster:allisonm
thread:101047
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020327/msgs/101218.html