Norepinephrine in Mood Disorders

         Norepinephrine, which is involved in the communication between neurons as a neurotransmitter inside the brain, can function as a neurotransmitter in the spinal cord and abdomen outside the brain. This hormone, which can be secreted directly from the adrenal glands, binds to the relevant receptors in the cell membranes and stimulates the cells.
         The main function of noradrenaline is to prepare the brain and body for actions that will take place. It is at the lowest levels during sleep and rises during awakening. In dangerous and stressful situations, the amount of noradrenaline in the blood increases much more. It plays one of the most important tasks together with adrenaline, especially in the realization of fight or flight response.
           Norepinephrine increases stimulation, alertness, and being awake in the brain; triggers memory generation, information recall, and focus. In the rest of the body, it speeds up the heartbeat, increases blood pressure, raises blood sugar and provides more blood to the skeletal muscles.
           For those who have no knowledge of what noradrenaline acts as a hormone, let's explain this with a small example.Imagine suddenly hearing a horn as you cross a street. You have forgotten to look at the traffic lights and threw yourself out of the road in less than a second. By thinking about this, we can feel how fast our heart beats. The knot formed in our stomach and how fast we breathe…

People with chronic anxiety start the day hoping that nothing bad will happen to them. When they wake up every morning, they try to motivate themselves by saying “today will be a beautiful day”.

But they just can't do it. Because chronic anxiety disorder causes people to be in constant fear. This fear waits to catch the person, and as soon as  catches, the person loses himself mentally.

It breathes the person's breath, shivers, makes the patient sweat cold, and fills the patient's brain with endless thoughts and disaster ideas. All this process is accompanied by one hormone: norepinephrine.

Catecholamines-Adrenaline

   

 Adrenaline is a very important hormone and neurotransmitter that has functions in the brain and body. In some sources it is also referred to as epinephrine. Adrenaline is secreted from the adrenal glands in the body and some neurons in the brain around the brain stem. It is a very important hormone in stimulating the body. It enables the emergence of fight or flight behavior, acceleration of the heartbeat and high blood sugar. It prepares the necessary environment for the muscles to contract and consume energy.
      It is produced naturally in the body and can be given as an external medicine. Maybe you have watched in the movies, in cases such as a heart attack, the patient is immediately given a big needle. Here is the adrenaline given to stimulate that heart. There is also a respirable adrenaline. This form of adrenaline can be administered when other treatment options do not work in patients with asthma. When given as a medicine, it can cause anxiety, tremors and sweating. Sometimes it can also lead to the occurrence of heart arrhythmias, such as tachycardia.
     Duties in the Sympathetic Nervous System
90% of the adrenaline circulating in the body is produced in the adrenal glands. It has been observed that the adrenaline level is very low if these glands are removed. Adrenaline affects many muscles and neurons in the sympathetic nervous system. It performs its effects through alpha and beta receptors. Cells that respond to adrenaline are called adrenergic. You may have seen the expression of adrenergic neuron. But remember, most neurons in the sympathetic nervous system respond to noradrenaline, not adrenaline.
     Let's reinforce what we have learned with an example about the adrenaline secretion's increasing. At 8 o'clock, you walk alone on the road at a time when the weather starts to darken. You noticed that a dog 100 meters ahead is running towards you. As soon as you notice, you can perceive the dog as a threat and start the adrenaline release.  Your muscles contract to flight or fight. By increasing your blood sugar, your cells are fed more. The oxygen demand of the body is met by accelerating the heartbeat. Then as the dog approached you, he suddenly changed the road and the danger passed. Since the hormones are slow-acting molecules, your heartbeat doesn't return to normal immediately. This is because hormones such as adrenaline affect the intracellular signaling mechanism via G-coupled proteins. If it only affected ion channels, the effect would disappear much more quickly.

When is adrenaline secreted?

One of the factors that will trigger the adrenaline secretion in the body is exercise and sports. However, in order for the adrenaline to be secreted, the heartbeat needs to be accelerated a little. When your muscles begin to strain a bit, it activates hormones to make your body work easier. The blood flow in the liver is slightly reduced and the blood is directed to more needed areas. With the secretion of adrenaline, more glucose is given to the blood for muscle cells to use. The lung bronchi are expanding to facilitate breathing. Studies show that bronchial stenosis in asthma patients reverses with adrenaline administration.
     The second factor that will increase the amount of adrenaline in the brain and body is stress and fear. Numerous experiments have been carried out on this subject. In one study, one group is given adrenaline, the other group is given nothing. After the injection, films are watched on both groups. Participants who received adrenaline in their body were found to have more negative facial expressions in movies than the control group. It was observed that the negative emotion felt as the amount of adrenaline increased. There is a clear link between adrenaline and fear.

Role in Memory

     It has been observed that adrenaline plays a role in storing emotional stimulating events in horror films. Adrenergic hormones such as adrenaline improve long-term memory in humans. During the day, we take a lot of things into our brains and delete unnecessary ones in our sleep. Thanks to this information filter system of the brain, memory only records the important ones. How does he decide which events are important? At this point, hormones such as serotonin and adrenaline label events that stimulate us emotionally, information. This information is reinforced in our sleep and taken into long-term memory. In addition, adrenaline has roles in long-term stress compliance and emotional memory coding. It can activate arousal and fear memory in pathological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
     Animal and human experiments so far have revealed that adrenaline has a powerful effect on memory. Giving the adrenaline to the participants during or after the learning process made it easier to code the information. The researchers found that ren adrenoceptors were involved in the coding of information. Since adrenaline does not have the ability to cross the blood brain barrier, it can show its effect partially through çevresel adrenoceptors in the peripheral nervous system.

How does adrenaline work?

After it is produced in the adrenal glands, adrenaline must mix with blood and go to target organs. This hormone, which has receptors in almost every organ, has different functions according to the type of tissue. For example, we mentioned that it is given to patients with asthma. It has the feature of relaxing the muscles around the respiratory tract. However, it provides contraction of the muscles around most of the small vessels, arterioles. Even if the hormone is the same, the receptors are different. Your key is the same but the doors are different. Each door leads to a different house.

Receptors play a big role in the working mechanism of adrenaline. We wrote that there are alpha and beta receptors. Binding of adrenaline to these receptors causes a series of metabolic events to begin. Binding to alpha receptors prevents the pancreas from secreting insulin. Instead, glycogenolysis begins. The stored glycogen is converted to glucose. The aim is to increase glucose and supply glucose to muscles and other cells. Binding to the beta adrenergic receptor initiates glucagon synthesis in the pancreas. On the other hand, it increases the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in the pituitary gland in the brain. In the meantime, lipolysis also occurs in the fat tissue separation process. With the breakdown of glycogen into glucose and the decomposition of fats, the nutrients needed by the cells are provided and the amount of glucose and fatty acid in the blood is increased.

A brief overview of monoamines

Monoamines are believed to assist very important functions in controlling mood and behavior. The main feature of monoamines is that they are distributed throughout the central nervous system, as well as along the peripheral nervous system. In this sense, some antidepressants act as monoaminoxidase inhibitors (MAOI). This is an enzyme necessary for the catabolism of monoamines. Monoaminergic neurons serve to modulate the functions of large areas of the brain; they do this by increasing or decreasing the mobility of certain brain activities.

MONOAMINE SPECIES
Catecholamines and indolamines

Catecholamines

We obtain catecholamines with the metabolism of tyrosine. The two main enzymes involved in the catabolism of catecholamines are monoamine oxidase (MAO) and catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT). The first is located at the nerve endings, while the second is located in all tissues. The release of these two enzymes is the goal of many psychotropic treatments.

Indolamines

Indolamines are neurotransmitters that contain an indole group. This group includes serotonin and melatonin.

Road Map

   

     ROAD MAP IN THE FIGHT AGAINST DEPRESSION

         I categorized the main systems that could lead to mood disorder in my own way. I will then stick to each category in detail.
     
         1.Transmission System
         2.Hormonal System
         3.Electrical System
         4.Immune System
         5.Neuroplasticity
         6.Protective and Adaptogenic Agents
       
        And numerous sub-categories of these categories... For example, as we will evaluate toxicity in the immune system ...
       A long series of articles begins, in the light of thousands of scientific publications, patient experiences examined and my theoretical predictions.  I hope your valuable suggestions and criticisms will also make our way brighter.
   
IMPORTANT NOTE : If you aim to treat yourself like me, before implementing the rest of the article series;
 1. Allow diagnosis by medically competent persons or institutions.
 2. Access as many biological information as possible about you.

 

What's Going on in the Brain?

The brain is an extraordinary organ we still learn about. For example, our brain determines various emotions, such as depression. So, have you ever wondered what's going on in your brain when you're depressed?
Sadness is one of the emotions that affect our metabolism the most. Well what does it mean?
While depressed, your brain becomes incredibly active. While it may sound strange, scientific studies show that more than 70 different parts of a brain in depression work. You ask why? It's easy to explain.
When you're depressed, you remember something, think, suffer, and look for solutions or new options. You sleep very little because you think about too much. For this reason, the hippocampus, the anterior cingulate cortex and the temporal lobes, which are the anterior part of the brain (prefrontal cortex), are active.
You should also remember that your brain spends 20% of your energy.
But when you're depressed, you need more energy, and your main requirement is glucose. This makes you feel more hungry, and your life suffering something sweet.
A sad brain releases the nerve carrier of serotonin, which is linked to your motivation.
If you are unable to leave a period of sadness by making new decisions and accepting the past, this deficiency of serotonin may cause you to experience depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and / or anger attacks.

No fault with Depression ?

        Nasreddin Hodja is one of the most humorous personality of Turkish culture, which makes people thought-provoke. He always have a quick repartee . He has been  continuing to address us from centuries ago.
It's like I can hear him say, "no fault of yours" with depression. Maybe the environment, genetics, the universe or maybe what you eat and drink could have caused that pattern, so what difference does it make?
        But more important than placing blame is preventing it from happening again. Although it will last a lifetime of the effort, it's worth it.
       I can see you stripped, building motorways.

No fault with the thief ?

Nasreddin Hodja has his donkey stolen. Grieving over his loss to his neighbours, he hears them all talking at once:
-“hodja, why on earth didn’t you put a good lock on the barn door?”
says one.
-“A thief breaks in, and you are unaware!” criticizes another.
Yet another blames Hodja:
-“Please don’t take offense but you alone are to blame for it as you do not even have a decent barn. I’ts falling to pieces, period!”
Indignat at the criticism, Hodja reacts:
-“For Heaven’s sake! If you say but is the fault all mine? No fault with the thief?

THE FEAR OF SLEEPNESSLESS

       I think this is an ailment that more people - than those with fear of inability to sneeze- suffer from. But fear of not being able to fall asleep and not fall asleep on is not the same thing. The connection between them is simply as follows: The first one includes the second one, or the second is the subset of the first.
       Although the above statements are confusing, the horror of insomnia is a constant fact for both propositions.
       ...not being able to sleep
       ...To fear of not being able to sleep
       ...not being able to sleep more
       ...To fear of not being able to sleep more
                              .
                              .
                              .
       ...Depression and not being able to sleep
       ...Vicious circle...
Bla bla bla......

TO FEAR OF INABILITY TO SNEEZE

        IS ANYONE AFRAID OF NOT SNEEZING?
       For many people, sneezing does not go beyond a natural reflex. It may be thought that not sneezing has nothing to fear. It will probably sound funny that it may be the cause of uninterrupted panic attacks, depression, anxiety and obsessions that will last for years. A deep crisis that only those who live it can know.
       The first thing to consider now is not what the cause and result are. Why would "inability to sneeze" be scary?
       Fear of paralysis...
       Non-stop fear of paralysis...
     
       It looks like this didn't make much sense (it took more than 10 years to understand).

SERTRALINE

SERTRALINE

      Sertraline is one of the best-known psychotropic drugs in the treatment of major depression, panic attacks, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress and obsessive-compulsive thoughts. Sertraline, also known as its trade name Zoloft. The drug is used to alleviate and control negative thoughts and emotions, although it does not fully cure the conditions mentioned above.
       A few years ago, "The Lancet" magazine did a research to compare the effectiveness between different psychotropic drugs used in the treatment of depression. According to the research of the magazine, Zoloft (sertraline) took the top place. This selective inhibitor (SSRI) of serotonin reuptake is one of the most useful and most prescribed drugs for depression today. Let's see how Zoloft works and how it looks at its side effects.
        Effects occur after 4 to 8 hours after administration of sertraline. After taking sertraline, the patient usually provides relief, a calm mood, and more mental control. The drug works to prevent serotonin reuptake. In essence, sertraline increases the presence of serotonin and its usability in our body.
        We are talking about a change that changes the way our brain transmits chemicals and directly affects our mind structure. How the drug affects the patient depends on the level of activation and psychological state.
         An interesting aspect of this drug is the increased bioavailability when we take it after a meal. It should be borne in mind that someone who smokes significantly reduces the effectiveness of sertraline. This should be one of the topics to discuss with a doctor when evaluating which pharmacological source is best for our health.
Although it is an effective compound for me, we should not expect it to show the same benefit for every person. So sertraline or any other compound can be many things but they are never everything.
Maybe we will never reach that "everything", but we can achieve "more" together.
Take care of yourself!

I loved the possibility that pills can cure me.

      I loved the possibility that pills can cure me.
 
      I hope nobody gets mad at me if I say "everything started with a dream".I prefer to keep their contents on me because I don't like telling people about my dreams, but let me say "I don't remember having another dream that was so clear and can so easily be interpreted by me throughout  my life" and be done with it.
      I do not expect anyone to have an inspiring dream.Well, what happened after the dream?
      My first terminal has become "Sertralin".
Selective Serotonine Reuptake Inhibitor.....

A dream and a SSRI...
Wow...
Do you still believe in miracles?

UNHAPPY CHILD, DEPRESSIVE ADULT

My earliest memories I can remember were filled with terrible nightmares and domestic violence. It was inevitable that these early experiences caused damage that was difficult to repair in brain chemistry. And so it was...
It is also an option to be dazed about why this happened to me, but it is a better option to follow the inspirational voice that has come after years of desperate waiting. Call it as the sound of science if you want, but much more for me.
Although there are now many more ways to make that crying child happy, it is a fact that we have not reached the end of the road yet.
Our journey begins if you are ready to accompany the rest of the road in the light of our experience.
Let's go....

NEUROPHARMACOLOGISTS AS THE NEW DARK SOUL BUSTERS

         Some depressed patients have improved mood after the use of another drug that inhibits monoamine oxidase enzyme activity, preventing monoamines from deteriorating - in fact, as a side effect.
        Based on these clinical observations, the first group of modern antidepressants, namely monoamine oxidase inhibitors, were developed. However, nothing is known about which monoamines were associated with depression at the time.
         In the 1960s, JJ Schildkraut from Harvard University formulated the catecholamine hypothesis for mood disorders.He assumed that the main cause of depression was norepinephrine deficiency in some brain-regulating circuits, while vice versa.
        But in the 1990s, research focused on serotonin. The main reason was the success of Prozac (fluoxetine) and other SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors).
        My personal story starts right here.
        Sertralin....

WHY ME?

     

 In the past two decades, researches have focused on finding "responsible" genes, but have failed. No such gene was found.
         Several chromosomes that could carry the depression gene were identified sequentially - chromosome 11, X chromosome, finally several regions on chromosome 18, and a locus on chromosome 21.
         However, none of the findings could be repeated. Maybe that was a good thing. After all, genetic treatment does not make our job easier.
         As genetic research continues, other study groups focused on finding the biochemical aspects of depression. Neurotransmitters were at the center of attention: in many depressive patients, nerve conduction disorders appear to be associated with the activity of monoamines - serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.
       In the 1950s,  monoamines became the focus of attention when around 15% of patients treated with reserpine developed depression (reserpine caused a decrease in monoamines).
       Fighting against dark souls had begun...

Time is slipping away
You can't say "Stop"
you mustnt be divert yourself by trapping in the past
Neither you nor I will abide in this world
You won't lose your hope and give in
Turn your face once
Look at the ground
It blooms every day
Says hello
All nights are obliged to morning
You won't lose your hope and give in
one would wish that
I'll always keep all the things very well
I wish I can stop all my pain
there you are the human race
and no woe no happiness

Depression the Black Dog!

        Clinical depression is much more than the annoying mood we each have from time to time. Sick people often have suicidal thoughts. They never can be happy.The vast majority are poor appetite and suffer from insomnia.
If you're reading this article, you're probably already familiar with these negative symptoms.
The prevalence of depression is high - it is estimated that 5-12% of men and 10-20% of women in the USA will experience at least one major depression in their lives. It's really scary!
Depression is a mental illness. But consciousness does not exist without the brain.Therefore, great research is being done to find biochemical changes in brain activity that may be an objective basis for the development of depression - whatever the triggering factor.
I think that's the "most promising part" of the job. Maybe miracle...😀😊