when you "bind a receptor", is that a good thing or a bad thing?
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it is neither. that is how neurons communicate and send messages through the brain.
neurotransmitters are chemicals that exist in the brain to transmit signals between neurons (brain cells). they are produced and stored in synaptic vesicles, which is an area inside of a neuron meant to store neurotransmitters. when the cell needs to send a signal to the next cell, it will release a certain amount of neurotransmitters, which cross the synapse (the synapse is the space in between brain cells), and bind to specific receptor sites on the other neuron.
for example, when you are in pain, the body sends electrical signals from the pain site to the brain through the nervous system. when these reach the brain, the brain will produce endorphin, which is a neurotransmitter. endorphine will attach to opioid receptor sites and transmit a pleasure response to counteract the pain, so you feel less pain. after a certain amount of time, it is released back to the synaptic vesicle in a process called, you guessed it, reuptake.
drugs work in similar manners. for example, morphine mimics endorphin and bonds with beta opiod receptors, which causes a pleasure response without a pain signal to generate it. other drugs will inhibit the reuptake of neurotransmitters, such as endorphin, serotonin, dopamine, etc, which causes them to remain in the synapse longer than usual, and their effects (such as pain killing + pleasure giving of endorphin) are multiplied.
neurotransmitters are chemicals that exist in the brain to transmit signals between neurons (brain cells). they are produced and stored in synaptic vesicles, which is an area inside of a neuron meant to store neurotransmitters. when the cell needs to send a signal to the next cell, it will release a certain amount of neurotransmitters, which cross the synapse (the synapse is the space in between brain cells), and bind to specific receptor sites on the other neuron.
for example, when you are in pain, the body sends electrical signals from the pain site to the brain through the nervous system. when these reach the brain, the brain will produce endorphin, which is a neurotransmitter. endorphine will attach to opioid receptor sites and transmit a pleasure response to counteract the pain, so you feel less pain. after a certain amount of time, it is released back to the synaptic vesicle in a process called, you guessed it, reuptake.
drugs work in similar manners. for example, morphine mimics endorphin and bonds with beta opiod receptors, which causes a pleasure response without a pain signal to generate it. other drugs will inhibit the reuptake of neurotransmitters, such as endorphin, serotonin, dopamine, etc, which causes them to remain in the synapse longer than usual, and their effects (such as pain killing + pleasure giving of endorphin) are multiplied.