Neurotransmitters & Neurochemicals

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that nerve cells use to communicate. This section covers familiar ones such as dopamine and serotonin, as well as amino acids, peptides, growth factors, and other molecules involved in brain activity. Some signals make a neuron more likely to fire. Others make it less likely to fire or change how it responds to incoming information. The effect depends on the chemical, the receptor it binds to, and where it’s acting.