Methods to affect Neurotransmitter Balance
Amino acid therapy
Treatment of depression, as well as any other monoamine neurotransmitter diseases including trichotillomania, is not possible through the direct administration of monoamine neurotransmitters (such as serotonin, dopamine, or norepinephrine). This is due to the fact that monoamine neurotransmitters do not cross the blood brain barrier, as depicted in figure 1.2,3,4,5
Figure 1: The monoamine neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine do not cross the blood brain barrier; therefore peripheral administration of these neurotransmitters will not increase central nervous system neurotransmitter levels. However, the amino acid precursors of these neurotransmitters do cross the blood brain barrier.
The only way to increase the levels of central nervous system monoamine neurotransmitter molecules is to provide amino acid precursors, which cross the blood brain barrier and are synthesized into their respective neurotransmitters by pre-synaptic neurons.6,7
Said differently, the only way a person can increase their neurotransmitter levels effectively ad maintain neurotransmitter balance over time is to take amino acids along with the precursors needed (i.e., the vitamins and minerals needed to convert the amino acids into their respective neurotransmitters) to synthesize neurotransmitters in the brain. This will increase neurotransmitter output and, with proper guidance and time, eliminate symptoms of neurotransmitter imbalance.
The medical approach to neurotransmitter imbalance is to manipulate levels of specific monoamine neurotransmitters (i.e., serotonin, dopamine, and/or norepinephrine) using medications. This will be the topic of our next post.
