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References: Synapses and Neurotransmitters

  1. 3.1 General Neurochemistry Principles - OpenStax, Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) - Walks through how neurons make, store, release, and clear neurotransmitters, and explains ionotropic versus metabotropic receptors. A free, college-level next step after this chapter.
  2. 14.1 Basic Principles of Pharmacology - OpenStax, Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) - Introduces how drugs act on the nervous system, including agonists and antagonists. Useful for going deeper on Section 3.8.
  3. Myasthenia Gravis - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH) - The main source for the bedside case: symptoms, who is affected, the role of the thymus, diagnostic tests, treatments, and myasthenic crisis, written for the public.
  4. Myasthenia Gravis - MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine - A plain-language overview page with links to trusted patient resources. A good starting point for anyone who wants to learn more about living with the condition.
  5. FDA Approves New Treatment for Myasthenia Gravis - U.S. Food and Drug Administration (December 17, 2021) - The official announcement of efgartigimod (Vyvgart), the first FcRn blocker for generalized myasthenia gravis. It explains in clear terms how lowering antibody levels can help and summarizes the trial results.
  6. Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction, Drugs and the Brain - National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH) - Explains how neurotransmitters, receptors, and transporters work and how drugs like heroin and cocaine hijack them. It connects this chapter to Chapter 15.
  7. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1936 - NobelPrize.org - The official page for the prize awarded to Henry Dale and Otto Loewi for discovering the chemical transmission of nerve impulses, with links to their biographies and Nobel lectures.
  8. The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence - Moncrieff J. et al., Molecular Psychiatry (2022, open access) - A review that found no consistent evidence that depression is caused by low serotonin. Advanced reading, but its summary shows why "serotonin equals happiness" is too simple.
  9. Chemical synapse - Wikipedia - A detailed overview of chemical synapses, including the size of the synaptic cleft, the steps of release, and how chemical and electrical synapses compare. Check key facts against the other sources here.
  10. Neuromuscular junction - Wikipedia - Covers the structure of the nerve-muscle synapse, acetylcholine release, nicotinic receptors, acetylcholinesterase, and diseases and toxins that act there, including myasthenia gravis, curare, and botulinum toxin.