Meanwhile, Fred Mendelsohn, of the Howard Florey Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, has discovered another brain chemical involved in memory. The chemical, a short chain of amino acids called a peptide, is either a neurotransmitter or a modulator, a substance that interacts with a neurotransmitter. Imbalances in another neurotransmitter, dopamine , are implicated in Parkinson's disease. Dopamine's normal function is in regulating mood and movement. It is also involved in memory and schizophrenia.
Endorphins are neurotransmitters that relieve pain and induce euphoria.
Athletes and gym junkies get a 'fix' of endorphins from excessive exercise. In the 1970s American scientists studying opium addiction discovered that morphine molecules lock into specific receptors in the brain. Endorphins, the brain's own morphine-like molecules, lock into these same sites. Brain chemicals One of the most recent finds is of a brain chemical aptly named anandamide after 'ananda', the Sanskrit word for bliss. THC locks into anandamide receptors in brain cells.