- Mimics effects of opiate drugs like morphine 
- Binds to opioid receptors 
- Produces analgesia (pain relief) and reward effects 

Opioid Peptides 

Oxytocin is a nine-amino-acid-long hormone and neuropeptide that is synthesized in the hypothalamus and released into various brain regions as well as the circulatory system. It is involved in labor, breastfeeding, maternal care, sexual behaviors, and there is growing evidence for its role in broad social behaviors. Additionally, there is evidence linking dysregulation of oxytocin to psychopathology.

Oxytocin

- Also known as neuropeptide
- Peptides are short chains of between two and fifty amino acids, linked by peptide bonds
- A neurotransmitter that contains short chains of amino acids (galanin, neuropeptide Y, opioid peptides)

Rutgers University

- Amine Neurotransmitters
- Amino Acid Neurotransmitters
- Peptide Neurotransmitters
- Gas Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitter Families

Breedlove, S. & Watson, N. (2017). Behavioral neuroscience, eighth edition. Oxford University Press.

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

- A neurotransmitter based on changes of a single amino acid (acetylcholine, serotonin, and dopamine)
- Monoamine neurotransmitters are amine neurotransmitters 

Amine Neurotransmitters

- A neurotransmitter that is an amino acid (GABA, glycine, glutamate, aspartate)
- In the brain, amino acid neurotransmitters have the most excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters


Amino Acid Neurotransmitters

Peptide Neurotransmitters

- A soluble gas produced by one neuron that alters the function of another neuron (nitric oxide and carbon monoxide)
- Neurons use certain gas molecules that dissolve in water (soluble gases) to communicate information 

Gas Neurotransmitters

Tryptamine is an indolamine metabolite of the essential amino acid, tryptophan. The structure of tryptamine is a shared feature of certain aminergic neuromodulators such as serotonin and psilocybin.

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