How to Stop a Neurotransmitter From Misfiring

Neurotransmitters carry electrical charges back and forth between receptor sites called synapses and are responsible for governing a wide variety of functions, including mood, energy levels, sexual function and even body movements. When receptors are damaged, a process that happens naturally as you age, neurotransmitters can misfire, causing anything from memory loss to seizures. You probably cannot stop all neurotransmitter misfiring in the human body but you may be able to decrease the incidence by using certain natural supplements.

Instructions

1

Drink Ginkgo Biloba tea. Used in Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine to help fight off age-related cognitive disorders and improve memory among the elderly, Ginkgo has been proven to be very healthy for your brain's neurotransmitter function. A study published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging in August 2004, researchers found that ginkgo was able to improve the transmission of neurotransmitters between synapses, an action that the researchers believed is responsible for the herbs ability to improve memory and cognition.

2

Take Saint John's Wort. Known as the herbal antidepressant in the alternative health world, Saint John's Wort is an herb that grows throughout the northern hemisphere. A study published in the journal CNS Drugs in 2003, found that Saint John's Wort has profound effects on neurotransmitter transmission. It down-regulates, or depresses, the production of stress related chemicals in the brain while up-regulating, or increasing, the levels of serotonin, an important neurotransmitter that is responsible for governing mood and other mental states. With more available serotonin in the brain, the chance for a miss-firing of this neurotransmitter is reduced.

3

Supplement with choline. Classified as one of the B vitamins, choline is an essential nutrient and is the precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine plays an integral part in neurotransmission, and is import for the overall function of the central nervous system. A study published in the journal Epilepsy Research in January 2002, found that choline supplementation reduced memory impairment caused by seizures. Seizures and the memory impairment associated with them are linked to the misfirings of neurotransmitters.