Alcohol and cars - Box 1 Alcohol and cars a volatile mix 1. Sponsored by The brain is a large and highly complex organ made up of a tangled mass of nerve cells, or neurons. These cells carry messages in the form of electrochemical impulses throughout the brain and the body s nervous system. The messages are transmitted from one neuron to another, across a tiny gap called a synapse, by chemical messengers called neurotransmitters . These are released from the axon of one neuron and then bind to receptors on the surface of another neuron.
Different neurotransmitters have different effects on the transmission of nerve impulses.
Some promote this transmission while others inhibit it. Scientists have so far found hundreds of neurotransmitters, and the list is still growing. Ethanol appears to affect various neurotransmitters. One of these is glutamate, the major promoter of nerve impulses in the brain. Scientists believe that one of the main effects of ethanol on nerve firing is a decrease in the activity of glutamate neurotransmitters, leading to a slowing down of brain activity.