ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the most common neurotransmitters in a way that will make this knowledge somewhat more accessible and offer some insight into the ways that affective states are influenced by the distribution of biochemical substances. Neurotransmitters, peptides, and hormones act as chemical substances throughout the brain and are transmitted through neuronal synapses. Neurotransmitters are neurochemicals that are released from neurons in the brainstem and released in the synapses. Neurons use chemical messengers, neurotransmitters, to jump the synaptic gap. The release of peptides and neurotransmitters from the brain stem, among other places, alters the processes in numerous brain circuits and activates certain behavioural patterns Emotions are activated, among other things, by the release of neurochemicals and electric signals. Serotonin-producing neurons are clustered in specific brainstem areas and distributed throughout most of the basal ganglia, the limbic system, and the neocortex. Low levels of serotonin may reduce investigative behaviour and lead to aggressiveness, impulsivity, suicide attempts, sleep deprivation, and inward aggression.
