Neurological disorders are diseases
that affect the nervous system. Depression is
an example of a neurological disorder that is caused by perturbations of the serotonergic
transmission between neurons, resulting in chronically low levels of serotonin
(1). Serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine are biogenic amine neurotransmitters
that are released by vesicular transport
to the extracellular space between neurons (2) and are cleared from the
extracellular space by biogenic amine transporters (BATs) which are transmembrane
proteins located on the presynaptic cells. Several drugs have been developed to
treat depression by targeting these transporters, but it is still not known how
the molecules interact. One of the therapeutic agents used is the selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs) which interferes with the serotonin
transporters (5-HTT or SERT) and inhibits the reuptake of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine,
5-HT) by the presynaptic cells and therefore increases the 5-HT concentrations
in the synaptic cleft. This increases the serotonin available to bind
to the postsynaptic receptor and potentially causes the sensation of euphoria
in the patient (3). Other therapeutic agents target other BATs that are known
to transport molecules that are related to the sensation of euphoria. These agents include
serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants
(TCAs).
Serotonine (5-HT)
noradrenaline
dopamine
The mechanism of how SSRIs work on serotonin transporters can be seen in the video bellow
We can see you have put a lot of effort into this! Design/layout is a bit confusing at first although the tabs divide the information well. The content of the blog is well explained and we like that you have included video references for the reader. It might have been better design wise if you had used the same fonts throughout the blog and made the captions slightly bigger to help them stand out. But overall well done.
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