Neurotransmitters are molecules that neurons use to communicate with each other, mainly by releasing them into the synaptic cleft between a sending neuron’s axon and a receiving axon’s dendrite; the receiving axon’s surface receptors then open the appropriate gates and produce a response, either stimulating, inhibiting, or mediating a tissue or passing the signal onto other neurons.
There are 8 well known neurotransmitters that every avid biology student should have drilled in their memory:
- Adrenaline/epinephrine
- Noradrenaline/norepinephrine
- Dopamine
- Serotonin
- GABA
- Acetylcholine
- Glutamate
- Endorphins
While all of these molecules are proteins, there are different types, and one that I’ll be focusing in this blog is monoamines: molecules derived from aromatic amino acids—tyrosine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan—and have cute benzene rings attached to them.
the three aromatic amino acids
Of these 8 aforementioned neurotransmitters are 4 monoamines: adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin. The first three of these are catecholamines—produced from the adrenal glands above the kidneys (hence the names adrenaline and noradrenaline). Serotonin is an indolamine, another subclass of monoamines, along with another famous neurotransmitter, melatonin.
While catecholamines are known for their “fight or flight” responses, such as an elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and anxiety, they are also triggered in, ahem, love. Especially during crushes or early stages of a relationship, not only are these catecholamines (mainly dopamine and noradrenaline) released at increased amounts, the production of serotonin is decreased. This means that while your heart is pounding away at your chest, you lose the ability to control your mood and emotions, get less sleep, and lose appetite. In addition, serotonin affects the amygdala, a part of the brain in the emotional limbic system; with a decreased level of serotonin, the amygdala deactivates and reduces its functions of judging and being aware of fearful emotions and memory.
The abnormally high mood in combination with the loss of critical judgment easily leads to the phrase “focusing on the good and ignoring the bad,” or in short, being unaware of red flags in the other person. This is what makes people who are in love, unrequited or mutual, seem out of character or be irrational about the simplest things.
Thus, benzene rings dancing through your nervous system can render you useless when it comes to the abstract concept of emotional affection. Thanks, dancing benzene rings and love. Very cool.
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Citations:
http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/22303258
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurotransmitter
https://nba.uth.tmc.edu/neuroscience/m/s1/chapter12.html
https://www.vox.com/2015/2/12/8025525/love-neuroscience