Autoreceptor 🧠
An autoreceptor is a type of receptor in neurons that monitor the level of a neurotransmitter in the synapse. These receptors normally serve as a feedback loop that regulates how frequently that neuron fires. If neurotransmitter levels are too low, autoreceptors scream “turn on the neurotransmitter machine!” If they’re too high, they scream “turn it off!” It’s like the servo-mechanism on the thermostat in your house. When the temperature drops, the thermostat kicks the heat on, and when it gets too hot, the furnace turns off. Autoreceptors serve as the neuron’s thermostat, causing it to fire relatively slowly and rhythmically and silencing it before it gets into trouble. By preventing these neurons from firing too rapidly, these autoreceptors make sure our neurons don’t wear out.
References
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Whitaker, Robert. (2010). Anatomy of an Epidemic Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America 5. The Hunt for Chemical Imbalances (p. 110). Crown Publishing: New York , NY.
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Lustig, H., Robert. The Hacking of the American Mind Chapter 10. Self-Inflicted Misery The Dopamine-Cortisol-Serotonin Connection (Location 1924). New York, NY: Penguin Random House.
Metadata
Type:🔵 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience / Biochemistry / Neurochemistry Status:☀️