Millions of substances circulate through our body. Some of them are neurotransmitters that, among other functions and uses, have a lot to do with regulating our behavior. In particular, today we will discover the role that nitric oxide, a very little known compound, plays in our body.
As Mark F Bear, Barry W Connors and Michael A Paradiso suggest in their book Neuroscience, The Exploration of the Brain, nitric oxide (NO) is produced from the amino acid arginine and functions as an intercellular messenger. an exotic chemical messenger.
- In the nervous system.
- It is a small substance permeable to the cell membrane.
- Which can spread more freely than other transmission molecules.
- In fact.
- Does it penetrate through a cell to affect others behind it?(Bear.
- Connors and Paradiso.
- 2016.
- P.
- 162).
In addition, it is a fat-soluble molecule. It acts as a neurotransmitter in the nervous system, in addition to covering various functions of our organization. Therefore, his discovery led to several investigations.
For example, Duarye, Espinoza, Daaz, Sánchez, Lee Eng, Mijangos and Barragon have studied their clinical implications and published a scientific paper in the Journal of Internal Medicine of Mexico.
The importance of this gas molecule is related to the functions it plays in our nervous system, let’s see what they are:
Some authors consider that nitric oxide does not meet all the criteria to be a neurotransmitter, however, others claim that this gas molecule functions as a neuromodulator.
Nitric oxide is not only involved in previously exposed functions, it also has a part of surprising themes. On the one hand, nitric oxide is essential in erectile tissues and, on the other hand, for restful sleep.
With regard to erectile tissues, nitric oxide, associated with acetylcholine, another neurotransmitter, and intestinal vasoactive peptide are released by parasympathetic nerve endings, causing the relaxation of smooth muscle cells in the arteries of the clitoris and penis.
Thus, the arteries that are normally flaccid are filled with blood causing the organs to stretch, that is, the sex organs are swollen by the participation of nitric oxide, so it is fundamental to the sexual act because it influences the clitoris and penis.
Even medications used to treat erectile dysfunction act as nitric oxide, which promotes blood flow to the penis. Viagra is the best known of medications that help release nitric oxide into nerve endings.
On the other hand, nitric oxide also affects the quality and duration of our sleep, how does it do it?Thanks to its diffusion, it serves as a retrograde message for some neurons.
Thus, the function of this neurotransmitter in favor of sleep quality can be a bit complex to understand, since the values of this gas molecule are higher during awakening, in addition to also increasing rapidly if there is no lack of sleep.
So how does it promote sleep? In fact, this gas molecule triggers the release of adenosine, a substance that promotes REM sleep, suppressing the activity of neurons that promote awakening.
In short, nitric oxide is as essential as other neurotransmitters, participates in various nervous system functions and helps keep it in good working order. Impressive, isn’t it?
Thanks to him we can sleep, gain strength, clot blood, defend ourselves, recognize different smells and even reach orgasm.