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GMJ News > GMJ Briefs > The Chemical Foundation of Mental Health: Understanding Your Brain’s Neurotransmitter System

The Chemical Foundation of Mental Health: Understanding Your Brain’s Neurotransmitter System

GMJ
Last updated: 30/07/2026 15:30
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Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD
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Diagram of neurotransmitter molecules and brain cell communication
Neurotransmitters—dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and nine others—regulate mood, sleep, focus, and motivation through chemical signalling between brain cells. When this signalling becomes dysregulated, functional symptoms emerge before structural brain disease develops. — Photo by SHVETS production on Pexels (Pexels License)
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1 min read|124 words

Your capacity to concentrate, regulate emotion, sleep restfully, and maintain motivation hinges on a sophisticated system of chemical communication within the brain. Twelve major neurotransmitters—including dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and GABA—orchestrate the signalling between brain cells that governs mood, cognition, and physiological function. When these chemical messengers operate in balance, mental resilience and cognitive clarity follow. However, dysregulation of neurotransmitter systems often produces functional symptoms such as mood disturbance, sleep disruption, and cognitive fog long before any structural brain pathology becomes detectable. This understanding underscores why early recognition of chemical imbalance is critical to mental health intervention. By appreciating the delicate equilibrium required for optimal brain function, individuals and clinicians can identify symptoms earlier and pursue targeted treatment strategies that restore neurochemical balance.

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ByProf. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD
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MD, MPH, PhD. Editor-in-Chief, Georgian Medical Journal (GMJ). Professor and Head, School of Public Health, David Tvildiani Medical University (DTMU), Tbilisi, Georgia. Chair, Public Health Institute of Georgia (PHIG). President, Accréditation Sans Frontières (ASF), Paris. Secretary/Treasurer, UEMS Section of Public Health. WHO Consultant, Health and Migration, Geneva. Former Member, UN Secretary-General's Independent Accountability Panel for Every Woman, Every Child, Every Adolescent (IAP-EWEC, 2016–2021). ORCID: 0000-0001-7609-4515.

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