Acetylcholine is the most common neurotransmitter in the nervous system, this chemical that our brain produces mainly from sugar and choline is the essential messenger that facilitates communication between neurons, through it we regulate attention and memory, assimilate new information and take care of our mood.
We will begin by saying that Acetylcholine was the first neurotransmitter identified, Henry Hallett Dale did so in 1915 and later Dr. Otto Loewi described several of his functions, both doctors were awarded the Nobel Prize for it in 1936. we do not face another chemical compound, because the involvement of this small element in our lives and in many of the biological functions is immense.
- If we want to understand the relevance of Acetylcholine in our body.
- We should think.
- For example.
- That without it the muscles of our hearts would stop contracting and expanding.
- That is.
- Would this body stop beating?.
We know, for example, that there are specific cells in our body that react exclusively with Acetylcholine. At this point, the anterior basal brain and hippocampus need this particular neurotransmitter to perform their tasks.
Not only does it act as a messenger, but it also increases the intensity of signals between neurons through theta waves. Does it optimize memory, promote neuroplasticity, communication? Let’s look at more information about this below.
Most of us have heard of Acetylcholine for a reason: to improve memory and concentration, so it is one of the most common components of nootropics, supplements that are used to improve our cognitive functions, now in addition to this area we know that it is indispensable for other functions that we will see below.
However, we must remember, first of all, that its field of action in our organization is multiple, it is found in both the central nervous system and the peripheral, and also has exciting and inhibitory functions.
That is, it can facilitate electrical impulse in a neuron or it can inhibit, for example, heart rate. It is like this driver who drives and tries to make every function have harmony, rhythm and balance.
In the central nervous system, Acetylcholine acts in an excitatory way, through its interaction between neurons and nerve cells promotes the processes of motivation, arousal and attention, not only stimulates the activity of the hippocampus to carry out these processes, but also acts on the cerebral cortex to give rise to superior executive functions, such as problem solving or reflection.
Alzheimer’s disease is the main cause of the loss of functionality of cholinergic pathways in the central nervous system and their inability to communicate with each other.
This data is interesting. Acetylcholine promotes REM sleep in our brain, and it does so by focusing on a very special structure: the anterior basal brain, thanks to this, because we are entering this phase of REM sleep or fast sleep, we can better store the memories and information obtained during the day.
Some of our neurotransmitters, such as oxytocin, also act as hormones, in the case of Acetylcholine it can be said that it also has a very important endocrine function: it acts on the pituitary gland, in this way you can control the amount of urine excreted, stimulates the production of thyroid hormones, etc.
Our peripheral nervous system could not perform many of its functions without the presence of this neurotransmitter, the tasks it performs are numerous and of great relevance to our livelihood and well-being:
In addition, and out of curiosity, we can say that Acetylcholine is also involved in the process that guarantees our survival: the perception of pain.
As we noted at the beginning, our brain needs “sugar” to produce Acetylcholine. Now, it is important never to exceed sugar consumption, because most of the time it is that when eating too many sugary foods, our attention and memory eventually decrease after a few hours. When there is an excess of sugar adenosine appears, a chemical that inhibits the action of Acetylcholine.
Thus, the best thing in all cases is to maintain an adequate balance in our diet, if we want to increase the production of this neurotransmitter, nothing better than including some of these foods in our daily life:
In conclusion, sometimes it is fascinating to discover how such unknown and unique things in our bodies do so much for us. So, knowing its relevance, we must try to take care of its balance. Don’t hesitate to take better care of our food, lead an active lifestyle and run regular checkups to make sure everything goes as it should.