excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters

• neurotransmitters can be classified as excitatory or inhibitory in their action.
• excitatory neurotransmitters such as noradrenaline increase the likelihood of an impulse being transferred to the postsynaptic neuron. an excitatory neurotransmitter bonding with a postsynaptic receptor results in an excitatory post-synaptic potential (epsp) which means the postsynaptic cell is more likely to fire
• inhibitory neurotransmitters such as serotonin and gaba decrease the likelihood of the postsynaptic neuron firing. these types of neurotransmitter calm the mind and the body. an inhibitory neurotransmitter bonding with a postsynaptic receptor results in an inhibitory post-synaptic potential (ipsp) which means the postsynaptic cell is less likely to fire.
• a nerve cell can receive both epsps and ipsps at the same time- whether the cell fires or not is determined by the sum of the excitatory and inhibitory inputs.