Posted by jujube on December 1, 2004, at 14:43:29
In reply to Re: why not dopamine for depression? » linkadge, posted by lostforwards on December 1, 2004, at 11:02:07
I think one Munster is enough! With respect to stress and depression, let's not forget about the role our hormones, including the adrenals and thyroid, play in regulating our moods, our motivation and our ability to cope with stress and anxiety. I may be wrong, but if the adrenal glands are in a state of exhaustion, how can a person respond adequately to AD treatment without first addressing the physiological deficiences? And, at the risk of sounding stupid, if a person's body is nutritionally depleted after, say, years of alcohol or drug abuse or poor/inadequate eating habits, how effective can an AD be if neurotransmitters are depeleted? I mean, how can something like a SSRI work if there is minimal serotonin to block the reuptake of? (Sorry if what I have just said is stupid and inane, it is just something I have wondered for a while.)
Tamara
> We'd be overrun with Munsters.
>
> What are the effects at the receptor level of stress? Stress is a pre-condition for the development of depression isn it? What "neurotransmitter systems" are affected most.
>
> I thought that dopmaine would be affected since chronic stress would result in dopamine-norepinephrine conversion, and the drop in dopamine, if the brain can't produce enough to cope, would lead to compensatory changes in the number of receptors.
>
> SSRIs downregulate dopamine receptors in the pfc by increasing dopamine in that part of the brain, that's part of what makes them effective.
>
> How is serotonin influenced by stress?
poster:jujube
thread:413480
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041201/msgs/422940.html