Identifying Neurotransmitters (1946–1976)
This chapter describes further experiments in identifying neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. After decades of concentration on acetylcholine and adrenaline/noradrenaline, new studies shifted the focus. Glutamate turned out to be the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain as well as the sensory neurotransmitter of dorsal root ganglion cells. GABA turned out to be the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, with glycine a prominent inhibitory neurotransmitter in the spinal cord. Furthermore, considerations of pathologies and therapeutics fostered an interest in many of the more newly established neurotransmitters, notably dopamine, serotonin, GABA, and enkephalin.
Keywords: neurotransmitters, central nervous system, glutamate, GABA, glycine, dopamine, serotonin, enkephalin
Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .