What are the chemicals in your brain that make you happy or sad? How do they work? What if they don't work?

How do drugs (illigeal kind) affect these chemicals in working with your brain?

Puppy, these are the major chemicals in your brain and how they relate to emotions:

Serotonin

Most forms of depression are associated with a deficiency of norepinephrine and/or serotonin at functionally important adrenergic or serotonergic receptors. Hence drugs that enhance the concentrations of norepinephrine and/or serotonin at these receptors should alleviate to an extent the symptoms of depression.

Acetylcholine

This neurotransmitter is used by the cholinergic system which when stimulated increases alertness and enhances memory. Acetylcholine is also related to sexual performance and arousal as it helps control blood flow to the genitals in women and men, heart rate, and blood pressure during sexual intercourse.


Dopamine

Parkinsons Disease is brought on when dopamine fails to reach the Basil Ganglia.
Schizophrenia (loss of ability to think straight) is thought to be brought on by inability of dopamine to reach the frontal lobe. Receptor oversensativity can cause the body to decrease the amount of dopamine being produced.

Too much dopamine in the limbic system and not enough in the cortex may produce a personality given to bouts of paranoia or inhibit social interaction.

A shortage of dopamine in the frontal lobe can contribute to poor working memory.

Dopamine contributes to the feelings of bliss and regulates feeling of pain in the body.


Phenylethylamine

A surge of phenylethylamine in the limbic system gives feelings of bliss.


Oxytocin

Increased levels of oxytocin give mothers the impulse to "cuddle" with their newborns. High levels of oxytocin are reported to contribute to multiple orgasm in woman.


Norepinephrine

High levels of norepinephrine can cause aggression. Increased levels of norepinephrine mixed with dopamine and phenylethalimine give us the feeling of infatuation.

Too much stress in children can create permanently low levels in serotonin and high levels of norephinephrine creating a potential of violent behavior which can be modified by fluoxetines.


I'll let someone more knowledgeable with drugs answer your last question.

Hey Pup,

Take a look at THIS too.

WOW! Thanks you two! Great answers and thanks for the link too. I added it to my favorites so that I can read it a lot

Glad we could help!