Demystifying Neurotransmitters: Serotonin, Dopamine, and Beyond

Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes looks at 6 of the most important neurotransmitters including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Each neurotransmitter has a role in our physiology and behavior, and understanding their function is key to understanding the brain and nervous system. In this video, we'll discuss each neurotransmitter's role in brain function and behavior, and discuss some of the diseases and conditions that can affect neurotransmitter function.

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NOTE: ALL VIDEOS are for educational purposes only and are NOT a replacement for medical advice or counseling from a licensed professional.

Video by Dr. Dawn Elise Snipes on integrative behavioral health approaches including counseling techniques and skills for improving mental health and reducing mental illness.

Objectives
~ Define Neurobiology
~ For the following neurotransmitters, Dopamine, GABA, Serotonin, Acetylcholine, identify
~ Their mechanism of action/purpose
~ Where they are found
~ Symptoms of excess & insufficiency
~ Nutritional building blocks

Dopamine
~ Mechanism of action/purpose
~ movement
~ memory
~ pleasurable reward
~ behavior and cognition
~ attention
~ inhibition of prolactin production
~ sleep
~ mood
~ learning

Norepinepherine
~ Function
~ Fight or flight excitatory neurotransmitter
~ Implicated in motivation
~ Symptoms of Insufficiency
~ When faced with severe stress, the stress response system activates raising norepinephrine and stress hormones
~ This increases arousal, increases insomnia, anxiety, depression, irritability, or emotional instability.
~ Prolonged stress leads to underactivity of the stress response system (desensitization)
~ This lowers arousal and can result in low energy, daytime fatigue, concentration/focus issues, and general apathy.

Glutamate
~ Is an amino acid (present in most high protein foods)
~ Most prevalent excitatory neurotransmitter
~ Used to make GABA (teeter-totter)
~ Facilitates learning and memory
GABA
~ Mechanism of action/purpose
~ Anti-anxiety, Anti-convulsant
~ GABA is made from glutamate
~ GABA functions as an inhibitory neurotransmitter
~ GABA does the opposite and tells the adjoining cells not to “fire”
~ Where is it found
~ Close to 40% of the synapses in the human brain work with GABA and therefore have GABA receptors

Summary
~ There are a variety of different neurotransmitters involved in addiction and mental health disorders
~ It is not always about increasing a neurotransmitter. Sometimes you need to decrease it.
~ Human brains try to maintain homeostasis and too much or too little can be bad
~ A balanced diet will provide the brain the necessary nutrients in synergystic combinations
Think about
~ A client who presents with apathy/loss of pleasure, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 What is neurobiology and why do we care
06:20 Functions of Dopamine
10:20 Symptoms of too much or too little dopamine
14:40 Foods to increase dopamine
22:35 FUnctions of norepinephrine
25:10 Foods to increase norepinephrine noradrenaline
26:10 What is glutamate
27:47 What is GABA
29:45 Foods to increase GABA
32:15 What is serotonin and what does serotonin do
33:40 Symptoms of too much serotonin -- Serotonin syndrome
36:00 Foods to increase serotonin
37:55 Serotonin receptors
45:35 What is acetylcholine

[adivinesoul]

I'm really appreciating this content. My only frustration with such information is the whole "talk to your doctor" razz.. If I could find a competent, available doctor who cared enough to work through this stuff, I guess I wouldn't be here trying to work it out for myself.

[OmariMaldini]

10 minutes into this and I can't help complementing the brilliance of the delivery. 10/10.

[shellieklassen]

I'm a therapist and your videos are so educational and very helpful. These are videos that all therapists should be watching. It's good to be aware, so you can better understand the client's situation and assess their personal needs. Sometimes they need more help then I'm able to give and these videos are teaching me to notice that.

[teryv]

Nutrients list for each neurotransmitter:

14:44 - Dopamine
25:16 - Norepinepherine
29:52 - GABA
36:29 - Serotonin
47:37 - Acetylocholine

[mgsa]

I expected to be bored with too much heavy medical terminology but your style of explaining makes it easy for anyone to understand.

[prschuster]

This video is loaded with info. It's overwhelming and it pays to watch it more than once.

[Sam_]

This is an amazing lecture. As a sleep specialist I call it brain Neurotransmitters soup which vary from patient to patient and in the same patient as well depending on what events he or she is facing. A lot of time we have to try different medications or different dosages or even combination to help the individual patient. I hope all the patient understand the difficulty in hitting the target from first shot. Thank you and well done

[donkieffer]

A heartfelt thank you Dr. Snipes for your sincere effort and time to do something meaningful and worthwhile for all of us. You make Mankind a better species with your kindness and contributions.

[ADINA]

I watched 5 times now...will probably watch it 50 times, ‘till i know it by heart...that’s how much i love it! ❤️

[existentialbowlofnoodles]

Everyone in the world should she this video. So much critical understanding of our brains is learned in just an hour. Definitely worth my time🙂

[ryanschickendantz]

As a recently enrolled neuroscience student I very much appreciate the existence of this. It's also helpful in determining the best med regimen for my CPTSD BPD etc. Overlapping paradoxical symptoms Throw a lot of psychiatrist for a loop I'm constantly given dopamine antagonists and they simply are not very helpful and give me restless legs etc

[finstereric]

Lack of sleep skyrockets dopamine. I have never felt as good as when I have missed a whole night's sleep and at about 5pm the next day is bliss. Wish it wasn't so unhealthy.

[trinidad]

I love this educator. Love love love. So intelligent!

[freddytackos]

this should be mandatory viewing for everyone before they start antidepressants. Thank you Doc Snipes!

[knowyourwhyrecovery]

Many people do not fully understand these chemicals and processes, including the impact they have on us. Thank you for this!

[julianjennings]

Coeliac, or Celiac disease sufferers live in a yo-yo of these effects, and I am convinced it will take strict diet and medication.
I'm 48, haven't hit the right combo yet!
Knowledge is power.
Thank you so much for helping me gain more wisdom.
God bless

[spike]

Thank you for this excellent framework. So much is not known about this subject, but the common sense approach to diet is well appreciated. I am a layman, but having a partner who was diagnosed with BPD, PTSD, Bi-Polar, MDD and more, I understand how challenging it is to reach homeostasis for people who are "treatment resistant". I hypothesize resistance may often be of a function of misdiagnosis, drug abuse and addiction as well as a belief system that is convinced nothing can help. I sincerely hope someday there will be a way to measure neurotransmitter levels in the brain. In the interim, is there a cheat sheet that summarizes all this wonderful information at a glance?

[jennalucy]

I stumbled across this video by accident and ended up watching the whole thing and really liked it

[apocraphontripp]

Ahh lady I love your presentations. So detailed, no fluff or fillers. Concise and exhastive at the same time. Just so well put together Presented as verbal and read. I truly enjoy listening to you.

[lisanneschop]

Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes, thank you for this presentation. I really have a lot of respect for your knowledge and ability to explain this.