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Neuromodulation
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<p> Neuromodulation is the <a href="/facts/Physiology/fh25y2pQ">physiological</a> process by which a given <a href="/facts/Neuron/G7CyTVdH">neuron</a> uses one or more chemicals to regulate diverse populations of neurons. Neuromodulators typically bind to <a href="/facts/Metabotropic_receptor/McU7DxqV">metabotropic</a>, <a href="/facts/G_protein-coupled_receptor/0arUMkQc">G-protein coupled receptors</a> (GPCRs) to initiate a second messenger signaling cascade that induces a broad, long-lasting signal. This modulation can last for hundreds of milliseconds to several minutes. Some of the effects of neuromodulators include altering intrinsic firing activity, increasing or decreasing voltage-dependent currents, altering synaptic efficacy, increasing bursting activity and reconfiguring synaptic connectivity. </p> <p>Major neuromodulators in the central nervous system include: <a href="/facts/Dopamine/5gNy8Xkd">dopamine</a>, <a href="/facts/Serotonin/EzY58q4a">serotonin</a>, <a href="/facts/Acetylcholine/v1d3wRUd">acetylcholine</a>, <a href="/facts/Histamine/Vfjda665">histamine</a>, <a href="/facts/Norepinephrine/AjTIC9ox">norepinephrine</a>, <a href="/facts/Nitric_oxide/UvhdvDzp">nitric oxide</a>, and several <a href="/facts/Neuropeptide/YdycoGuR">neuropeptides</a>. <a href="/facts/Cannabinoids/MHcltwTn">Cannabinoids</a> can also be powerful CNS neuromodulators. Neuromodulators can be packaged into vesicles and released by neurons, secreted as hormones and delivered through the circulatory system. A neuromodulator can be conceptualized as a <a href="/facts/Neurotransmitter/LlpYFSU3">neurotransmitter</a> that is not reabsorbed by the pre-synaptic neuron or broken down into a metabolite. Some neuromodulators end up spending a significant amount of time in the <a href="/facts/Cerebrospinal_fluid/tcWG7hhv">cerebrospinal fluid</a> (CSF), influencing (or "modulating") the activity of several other neurons in the <a href="/facts/Brain/EKla9NkJ">brain</a>. </p>