Posted by Viridis on July 23, 2003, at 1:50:40
In reply to Me - Simple Mind, Simple Concepts, posted by KellyD on July 22, 2003, at 9:09:32
What you said is right -- just to be a bit more technical, benzos enhance the effect of the neurotransmitter GABA on certain brain cells that send out "warning" messages to other brain and nerve cells. GABA is sort of a "brake" that stops these cells from being overactive and continuously sending out inappropriate signals that cause an anxiety response.
In non-anxious people, there's the right amount of GABA at the receptors to keep things even most of the time, but other chemicals can override this in a real emergency situation, or during times of intense stress. In anxious types (and some epileptics), the balance is thrown off and the cells become overactive (partly because the effects of the other, activating chemicals aren't held in check).
GABA has to bind to a receptor on the outside of the cell to exert its effects, and if not enough of it reaches this target, the cells aren't slowed down appropriately -- this can be due to not enough GABA, faulty receptors, too few receptors, etc.
Benzos bind to a different part of the GABA receptor than GABA itself, and make the receptor more "attractive" to whatever GABA is present, thus producing a calming effect. Really, they're just creating a set of conditions like that in the brains of people who are naturally mellow.
poster:Viridis
thread:244113
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030718/msgs/244418.html