| Neurons communicate at synapses by means of neurotransmitters. A large number of compounds, whether of low molecular weight, such as the biogenic amines, or larger peptides, can act as neurotransmitters. They act on specific receptors, and there is normally more than one receptor for each neurotransmitter. The presence of several transmitters in the same nerves and the identification of multiple receptors suggest that there is a high degree of flexibility and complexity in the signals that can be produced in the nervous system.
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- Does nitric oxide
 meet all the criteria to be defined as a true neurotransmitter? - Explain how a neurotransmitter such as serotonin can have so many diverse effects within the central nervous system.
- Explain how neurotransmitters can be excitatory or inhibitory.
- What neurotransmitter types are likely to become deficient in the brain of a patient with an inborn error of tetrahydrobiopterin metabolism?
- Discuss the factors that need to considered when establishing a diagnostic method for disorders of dopamine and serotonin metabolism.
- Explain the concept of ionotropic and metabotropic receptors.
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Clayton PT, Surtees RA, DeVile C, Hyland K, Heales SJ. Neonatal epileptic encephalopathy. Lancet 2003;361,1614.
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| Cooper JR, Bloom FE, Roth RH. The biochemical basis of neuropharmacology, 8th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2002.
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| Siegel GJ, Agranoff BW, Albers RW, Fisher SK, Uhler MD. Basic Neurochemistry, 6th ed. New York: Lippincott-Raven; 1998.
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| Stewart VC, Heales SJ. Nitric oxide-induced mitochondrial dysfunction: implications for neurodegeneration. Free Radic Biol Med 2003;34:287-303.
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