A deficiency of acetylcholine, another neurotransmitter, can also lead to depression. Deaner®, a prescription drug, increases acetylcholine levels in the brain. It is both an active analogue and a precursor of acetylcholine and is effective in many old people as an antidepressive—it reduces apathy and increases motivation, as well as improving memory and learning in […]
Death from helplessness has been widely observed in animals and people. In one study, wild rats forced to swim until exhaustion lasted for 60 hours before they drowned. Rats that were first held firmly in the investigator’ hand until they stopped struggling, and were then put in the water, swam frantically for about 30 minutes, […]
The drive to resist compulsion is more important to wild animals than sex, food, or water. He [J. L. Kavanau] found that captive white-footed mice spent inordinate time and energy just resisting experimental manipulation. If the experimenters turned the lights up, the mouse spent his time setting them down. If the experimenters turned the lights […]
As noted in the preceding chapter, choline bitartrate, the most common type of choline sold at health food stores, can cause diarrhea. If you do use it, you may be able to avoid diarrhea by beginning at a low dose and increasing the amount gradually. Choline chloride (also called choline hydrochloride) does not have this […]
Catecholamines are responsible for a number of different effects in normal humans. They are involved in control of locomotor (moving about) behavior, aggressive behavior, sexual behavior, food intake, and behavior dependent upon positive (reward) and negative (punishment) reinforcement. Acetylcholine controls muscle tone and motor activity and has a role in memory, learning, and long-term planning, […]
Read more The Decline of Your Brain’s Chemical Messengers III
Norepinephrine (NE) is another of the brain’s arsenal of neurotransmitters, important in primitive drives and emotions like sex and in memory and learning. When the level of NE in the brain is too low, people become depressed and their immune systems do not function normally. (That’s because NE can cause the brain to release growth […]
Read more The Decline of Your Brain’s Chemical Messengers II