Neurotransmitters Research Paper

In comparing the differences between the neurotransmitters dopamine and acetylcholine, it is important to have a basic understanding of what neurotransmitters are, and what processes they're involved in. Furthermore, in the understanding of neurotransmitters, there are certain functions that specific neurotransmitters perform, such as the differences in the functions of dopamine and acetylcholine that need to be known in order to associate either transmitter to a disease. Therefore, when concluding whether the friend's grandfather has a dopamine associated disease, or a acetylcholine associated disease, all mentioned information regarding neurotransmitters, and their relevant processes, need to be considered for an accurate diagnosis.

Neurotransmitters can be thought as the chemical messengers specialized in communication between neurons. These chemical messages are wrapped up in synaptic vesicles that facilitate the travel across one neuron to another. These synaptic vesicles also provide protection when crossing to the synaptic cleft located on the receiving neuron. Once these neurotransmitters reach to the receiving end of the neuron, their synaptic vesicles release the neurotransmitter's inner-molecules into

their receptor sites. Once within the receptor site, an electrical signal is induced and creates an impulse that transfers additional information to additional neuron components.
Neurons consist of five major components: the main component of the neuron is the cell body. The cell body, also called a soma, is the central region of the neuron and is responsible for the renewal and the creation of additional cell components. Additionally, the cell body is the center of the neuron where the nucleus resides in.
The 2nd component is the dendrite. Dendrites contain many branchlike extensions that make receiving information from other neurons more efficient. The type of information that travels among dendrites is in the form of electrical impulses. These electrical impulses are then passed onto the cell body. For clarity, these branchlike extensions resemble the appearance of a tree’s branches, and for example, act like a receiver part of a cell phone that "listens" to the other neurons.
The 3rd and 4th components of the neuron are the axon and axon terminals. These components are responsible for sending information from its host neuron to other neurons via electrical signals called resting and action potentials. These electrical potentials are induced by the rapid flow of positive particles into the axon. Once this process has begun, the electrical signal cannot be stopped. To facilitate the rapid flow of positive ion dispersions, the axon has a type of protective layer, called the myelin sheath, that insulates additional positive and negative ions that helps increase the speed between electrical signals and impulses.
The last component, and the most involved with neurotransmitters, is the synapse.

As mentioned before, the spatial region between the axon terminal and receptor site on the dendrite is the location where neurotransmitters, within synaptic cells, are chemically diffused. Moreover, this entire region where the axon terminal attaches to the neuron’s dendrite, is in fact, the synapse. The purpose of the synapse is to house the interactions between neurons; the interactions occurring between these neurons involve the diffusion of neurotransmitters across the synaptic cleft via receptor cites. These receptor cites, located on the dendrite, attract the neurotransmitters across the synaptic cleft, thus allowing for the communication between neurons to

continue.
Regarding the grandfather’s disease, the specific excitatory neurotransmitter that is associated with his disease may be dopamine, or acetylcholine. To better conclude which excitatory neurotransmitter it is, it is essential to understand the main fucntions of dopamine and acetylcholine, as well as the symptoms associated with both neurotransmitters. Dopamine’s function as a neurotransmitter is to affect the motivation and rewarding system in the brain's experiences - including basic human function and activity. Dopamine, aside from being a neurotransmitter, is also a type of monoamine - containing only one amino acid. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, therefore depending on the grandfather's disease, it can be easily depicted if the associated neurotransmitter is in fact dopamine, by looking at the prognosis for any abnormal proteins or problems associated with creating proteins. Also, if there's any difficulty with the friend's grandfather's daily activities, such as writing or buttoning a shirt, that can also be a sign of a dopamine associated disease; dopamine, in elevated amounts, typically causes hand tremors or shakes.
Acetylcholine’s functions are involved with arousal, selective attention, sleep, and memory. Acetylcholine, especially when consistent with a disease, can be easily distinguished by analyzing an individual for any random muscle spasms or contractions. These are different movements than dopamine associated diseases because it involves involuntary muscle movements at random intervals, opposed to consistent hand tremors. These involuntary muscle contractions are because the neurons that connect directly with muscle cells also release acetylcholine, which allows the muscles to trigger movements. If there are any elevations, or decreases in the amount of acetylcholine neurotransmitters in the grandfather's nervous system, the friend will notice any involuntary contractions of his grandfather's muscles. Therefore he can correctly assume it is an acetylcholine associated disease.
Depending on the grandfather's symptoms that are consistent with his disease, the son can reasonably infer whether the neurotransmitter dopamine or acetylcholine is associated with his grandfather's disease. Furthermore, it is beneficial for the grandson to know the five major components of a neuron including the cell body, the dendrites, axon and axon terminals, and the synapse; and it is beneficial for the grandson to know how neurotransmitters are associated with previously mentioned neuron components. Therefore with having sufficient knowledge with the biological processes, the grandson can accurately infer if it is a dopamine associated disease, or a acetylcholine associated disease.