If chemicals like oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin are so crucial to our mental health, why can’t we monitor them the same way diabetics monitor insulin?
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To add to many good points made here: Even if we could with perfect accuracy, we wouldn’t gain too much. Mental illness is MUCH more complicated than a simple disbalance of neurotransmitters. It’s a highly complex machinery of thousands of electrochemical processes across billions of neurons. You could measure the exact same composition of neurotransmitters in a suicidal patient and a dude who just won the lottery because there are so so many other factors at play.
To add to many good points made here: Even if we could with perfect accuracy, we wouldn’t gain too much. Mental illness is MUCH more complicated than a simple disbalance of neurotransmitters. It’s a highly complex machinery of thousands of electrochemical processes across billions of neurons. You could measure the exact same composition of neurotransmitters in a suicidal patient and a dude who just won the lottery because there are so so many other factors at play.
It’s hard to get non indigenous neurotransmitters to the brain. Enzymes break them down before they can cross the blood brain barrier. However we can use drugs structured like these neurotransmitters to treat some diseases and conditions. A lot of schizophrenia medications are modeled like dopamine since the illness is caused by a dopamine disorder.
It’s hard to get non indigenous neurotransmitters to the brain. Enzymes break them down before they can cross the blood brain barrier. However we can use drugs structured like these neurotransmitters to treat some diseases and conditions. A lot of schizophrenia medications are modeled like dopamine since the illness is caused by a dopamine disorder.
It’s hard to get non indigenous neurotransmitters to the brain. Enzymes break them down before they can cross the blood brain barrier. However we can use drugs structured like these neurotransmitters to treat some diseases and conditions. A lot of schizophrenia medications are modeled like dopamine since the illness is caused by a dopamine disorder.
Mostly because with diabetes you don’t monitor insulin but blood sugar and then administer insulin accordingly.
Measuring blood sugar is relatively easy but you can’t measure how much neurotransmitters are in the blood because they are not in the blood.
Mostly because with diabetes you don’t monitor insulin but blood sugar and then administer insulin accordingly.
Measuring blood sugar is relatively easy but you can’t measure how much neurotransmitters are in the blood because they are not in the blood.
Mostly because with diabetes you don’t monitor insulin but blood sugar and then administer insulin accordingly.
Measuring blood sugar is relatively easy but you can’t measure how much neurotransmitters are in the blood because they are not in the blood.
Also for example with serotonin its not that simple.
The serotonin hypothesis saying that low levels of Serotonin lead to Depression has been disproven. This is the reason why it is questionsble if antidepressants really work on its own or are just placebo. We know just too little about the connection between serotonin levels and mood, which is why it wouldnt have a use monitoring it the same way as insulin.
Also for example with serotonin its not that simple.
The serotonin hypothesis saying that low levels of Serotonin lead to Depression has been disproven. This is the reason why it is questionsble if antidepressants really work on its own or are just placebo. We know just too little about the connection between serotonin levels and mood, which is why it wouldnt have a use monitoring it the same way as insulin.
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