Abstract
Neurologists are proficient in neuroanatomy and –physiology but their understanding of neurochemistry tends to be mediocre. As a rule, we do not think in biochemical pathways and complex metabolic interactions but rather associate a few neurotransmitters with well-known brain diseases or drugs that we routinely prescribe. Most of us can hardly come up with more than a handful of relevant neurochemicals. From our point of view the most important neurotransmitters are, in alphabetical order, acetylcholine (associated with Alzheimer’s disease and myasthenia gravis), dopamine (Parkinson’s disease), glutamate and GABA (epilepsy and seizures), and serotonin (major depression; although this is arguably the domain of psychiatrists). In this commentary, the author presents the knowledge derived from neurochemistry research that has proven useful for clinical neurological practice. In addition, he explains what biochemists, basic neuroscientists and other non-neurologists need to consider in the encounter with a clinical neurologist.
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Acknowledgements
The author wishes to express his deepest gratitude to the honoree of this special issue, Prof. Ursula Sonnewald. Ursula was the supervisor of his doctoral thesis obtained in 2005 at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. She taught him the principles of basic scientific research and neurochemistry, including the secrets of glial-neuronal interactions. Despite her admirable efforts, the author later went on to become a clinical neurologist. Fortunately, however, she has remained a very dear friend ever since.
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Kondziella, D. The Top 5 Neurotransmitters from a Clinical Neurologist’s Perspective. Neurochem Res 42, 1767–1771 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-016-2101-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-016-2101-z