Norepinephrine is both a neurotransmitter and a hormone. It plays a role in the "fight or flight response" along with adrenaline. It helps send messages from one nerve cell to the next.

Changes in norepinephrine levels do not affect mood in every person. Researchers now understand that hav...

Accepting how little we truly know about the chemistry of depression can help us maintain perspective and expectations for the medications used to treat depression.

For people who are trying to find the right treatment, understanding the complex chemistry can be reassuring when a particul...

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers in the brain. The nerve cells of the brain use neurotransmitters to communicate with each other. The messages they send are believed to play a role in mood regulation.

The three neurotransmitters implicated in depression are:

• Dopamine

Research has indicated several potential causes for the low levels of serotonin, norepinephrine, or dopamine:

• Molecules that help make neurotransmitters are in short supply
• Not enough receptor sites to receive the neurotransmitter
• Presynaptic cells are taking the ne...

While psychotherapy is helpful for some people with depression, if there is a chemical imbalance in the brain, it may not be enough to address their symptoms. Antidepressants combined with psychotherapy proves especially effective for addressing the symptoms.

While taking an anti...