MAO Inhibitors: Change Character

Today you will learn a terrible spell in medicine! It is so strong that it can kill a person, so that information is more informative in nature. It is interesting and beautiful as some kind of bizarre venomous snake. We will not paint, how to apply this knowledge in real life, they are dangerous and only the best specialists in the field of biology can be applied.

What does it mean inhibitors?

Activators and inhibitors - a 2 main areas in the regulation of biological processes. Activators and inhibitors - often compounds wherein, in biology have 100% of the activating or inhibiting substances. Getting a big plus in one thing, we lose in another.

To make it easier to understand, remember the sensations of games. When you "win", activated the processes related to dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin, but suppressed, such as GABA. The feeling of pleasure and happiness, and the suppression of calm and sobriety.

So when we have something to activate - we have something to suppress, and vice versa. It's a balance. Inhibitors - a suppressor / destroyers.

What is MAO?

Before clarify this term, it is important to remind the basis of neurotransmitter synaptic transmission, when a neuron distinguishes neurotransmitters in the synaptic cleft into the space, where they absorb 2nd neuron. While mediators are neither in the first nor in the second neuron, in the middle, clever organism selects its surpluses with the help of the enzyme monoamine oxidase.

This word just sounds scary, divide it into two parts: "mono" means one, "amine" means an amine group, one nitrogen atom, two hydrogen. Oxidase derived from the word "oxide" - oxygen, redox reactions.

So it turns out that the monoamine oxidase, ie MAO - a substance that oxidizes destroys monoamines. And there monoamines neurotransmitters.

MAO-A - monoamine oxidase that breaks down neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin from the synaptic cleft and send the excess back to the first neuron to re-accumulate in vesicles and "firing" in the space of a second neuron. It creates a circuit to our lazy body did not have to re-create from the amino acid neurotransmitters.

Imagine how you fill a cup with water, and the water starts to overflow and run down the walls. In our bodies, "excess water" does not spread and is returned to the tank from which you poured the water into the cup. In this context, "water" - a neurotransmitters.

MAO-A are located in the outer membrane of mitochondria in the cells.

MAO-B - monoamine oxidase, located just in the mitochondria and destroys dopamine and other less significant, tangible mediators. For reference, we already know more than a hundred different neurotransmitters.

Inhibition of monoamine oxidase refers to the process where "suppressed suppressors" monoamines. As we remember from mathematics, minus to minus - a plus. Thus, similar processes occur cells. By inhibiting monoamine oxidase, we destroy what was to destroy another.

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors - a powerful substance that can change a person beyond recognition, in particular, its behavior. The stronger of these inhibitors, these compounds, the greater the change. There can be a situation where the intake of coffee or, worse yet, taking nootropics, so will cause a violent expression, the production of mediators that will effect powerful psychoactive drugs. Well, we understand how the human behavior under the drug.

Inhibitors are also divided into more or less "strong", it is not a binary system where the inhibition or happening or not. It is rather the scale, where 0 - is the lack of inhibition, as 100 - 100% is conditional. Fatal outcome is possible for a person when receiving "strong" agents acting on neurotransmitters, and "strong" inhibitors of MAO.

In science, they are usually classified into reversible and irreversible, selective and nonselective.

Act on specific selective monoamine oxidase A or B. blocking the destruction of certain substances in our brain. Unselective blocking both types.

Act on specific selective monoamine oxidase A or B. blocking the destruction of certain substances in our brain. Unselective blocking both types.

Irreversible MAO virtually destroyed, forcing the body to start creating a new enzyme, which takes about 2 weeks.

Reversible MAO tie can say for some time. Now such a terrible term as an irreversible non-selective inhibitor of monoamine oxidase becomes less clear for you.

But nonselective is now hardly used. As regards the application, many antidepressants have selective reversible MAOI.

They act on serotonin and dopamine, temporarily increasing their levels in the synaptic cleft. Applications irreversible - it is many diseases, have long or chronic, such as alcoholism, Parkinson's disease.

Relatively safe MAO inhibitors

Dangerous, they're strong, search in google "list MAO inhibitors" and get a bunch of names of drugs. We consider those MAOIs, which action is not so strongly expressed: Rhodiola Rosea, Yohimbine, Green Tea, Nutmeg, Tobacco, tyramine.

Interesting Facts

Crime may be genetically grounded. There is a statistically significant correlation between the crime rate and the activity of MAO. A special case of this correlation - Brunner syndrome.

This syndrome was first recorded in the 90th. one American family, where 14 men had a mutation of MAO-A. This mutation caused them to the body to produce more dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. In fact, it meant a partial inhibition of monoamine oxidase throughout life. These people had a lower than average IQ, were prone to aggressive and impulsive behavior. Moreover, it was proved that children with a weak MAO activity are more likely to antisocial behavior in adulthood.

Hence there was an assumption that genetics, MAO mutations involved in low IQ and aggressive, criminal behavior. Depression has a connection with increased MAO activity. It was found that in depression, MAO activity is increased by 34% on average. You can use Phenibut.

When taking antidepressants based on MAOIs, and, in general, when taking MAOIs, special attention is paid to the selection of proper nutrition. If in ordinary life eat fish, meat, dairy products is considered to be useful, in the course of MAOIs can all cause side effects. These foods are rich in natural amino acids of which are synthesized mediators, and so, if there is a lot of fish, you get a lot of tryptophan. And because it will produce serotonin, serotonin would be a lot (in fact he is not destroyed MAO). Man receive serotonin syndrome: nausea, dizziness, etc. Because it is said that consuming drugs MAOI and nootropics, swinging, for example, dopamine, will hyperstimulation with all the attendant.

MAOIs interact mainly with catecholamines and serotonin, they do not inhibit, for example, acetylcholine. For it has its own "MAO", called choline acetyltransferase.

Bottom line:

- Monoamine oxidase - a substance that can determine not only our behavior and lifestyle, but also the type of character.

- The body more profitable normal, average values of MAO activity. It will be higher than normal - the propensity to depression, lower - lower IQ and short temper.

- MAO inhibitors increase levels of noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin. Examples: yohimbine, rhodiola, green tea.