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New page: '''Neurotransmitters''' are chemicals in the brain that communicate information between neurons. Neurotransmitters are released from the presynaptic terminal of one neuron and cross the s...
'''Neurotransmitters''' are chemicals in the brain that communicate information between neurons. Neurotransmitters are released from the presynaptic terminal of one neuron and cross the synaptic cleft (the space between neurons) before binding to a [[receptor]] on another neuron. Austrian scientist [[Otto Loewi]] discovered the first neurotransmitter, [[acetylcholine]], in 1921 while experimenting on frogs.
== Neurotransmitter Guidelines ==
To be considered a neurotransmitter, a chemical must meet most or all of the following criteria:
*it must be manufactured within a neuron
*it must be found in a neuron
*it must be released when a neuron is stimulated
*when it is released it must bind to a receptor and cause a biological change
*after release the chemical must become inactive
*when applied manually to post-synaptic membrane the chemical must have the same biological effect that it did when relased from a neuron
== Neurotransmitter Guidelines ==
To be considered a neurotransmitter, a chemical must meet most or all of the following criteria:
*it must be manufactured within a neuron
*it must be found in a neuron
*it must be released when a neuron is stimulated
*when it is released it must bind to a receptor and cause a biological change
*after release the chemical must become inactive
*when applied manually to post-synaptic membrane the chemical must have the same biological effect that it did when relased from a neuron