Question

What is the function of neurotransmitters?

Answer 1

A neuron is a nerve cell that serves as the nervous system's basic building unit. In many ways, neurons are comparable to other cells in the human body, but there is one significant distinction between neurons and other cells. Neurons are specialised cells that transmit data throughout the body.

Complete answer:
The chemical messengers of the body are known as neurotransmitters. They are the chemicals that the nervous system uses to send and receive messages between neurons and between neurons and muscles.
The synaptic cleft is where two neurons communicate with one another (the small gap between the synapses of neurons). The release of neurotransmitters converts electrical messages that have travelled along the axon into chemical signals, generating a specific reaction in the receiving neuron.
A neurotransmitter can have one of three effects on a neuron: excitatory, inhibitory, or modulatory.
In the receiving neuron, an excitatory transmitter encourages the formation of an electrical signal known as an action potential, whereas an inhibitory transmitter prevents it. The receptor to which a neurotransmitter binds determines whether it is excitatory or inhibitory.
Neuromodulators are unique in that they are not limited to the synaptic cleft between two neurons and can therefore affect a large number of neurons simultaneously. Neuromodulators, in contrast to excitatory and inhibitory transmitters, influence populations of neurons while functioning at a slower rate.
Small amine compounds, amino acids, and neuropeptides make up the majority of neurotransmitters. Neuroscientists are still learning more about the chemical messengers, which include around a dozen small-molecule neurotransmitters and more than 100 distinct neuropeptides. These substances and their interactions are involved in a variety of nervous system processes as well as the regulation of physiological functions.

Note:-
The first neurotransmitter found was acetylcholine, a tiny molecule. It is released by motor neurons and autonomic nervous system neurons in the peripheral nervous system, where it plays a vital role. It also aids in the maintenance of cognitive function in the central nervous system. Alzheimer's disease is linked to damage to the CNS's cholinergic neurons.