cell, but in certain cases it may be manipulated by drugs to
various effect. For example, inhibiting reuptake is the
mechanism by which certain antidepressant drugs increase
availability of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Alternately,
drugs that aim to boost acetylcholine in the brain, another
important neurotransmitter, work by preventing its
enzymatic degradation.
This chapter will explore how to keep your
neurotransmitters functioning optimally by helping you
recreate the conditions that they were designed to work
under. Whether you suffer from poor mood or memory,
stress, or lack of focus, this section will help you to better
understand how to maximize your quality of life, cognitive
function, and brain health through the brain’s main means
of communication. Because a healthier brain enhances our
experience of the world, it allows us to be the truest and
most expressed versions of ourselves, capable of feeling,
learning, loving, and connecting in ways that make life
worth living.
Glutamate/GABA: The Yin and Yang
Neurotransmitters
Ancient Chinese philosophy describes life in terms of the
inhibitory (yin) and the excitatory (yang) coexisting in
perfect harmony. Without knowing it, these ancient