I know Serotonin is the chemical responsible for happiness and whatnot, but I can't seem to find the name of the chemical respopnsible for anger and/or agression. I was hoping someone on here would know, or otherwise know how to find out.

the thing is, we rly dont know about which hormone controls which. What we do know, if when you're angry you have stimulated your sympathetic nervous system which goes along with cortisol and other steroid hormones to deal with this stress

While seratonin deficiency is a contributer to depression, it does not mean its the definitive cause. Seratonin is more involved with our cyrcadian rythem. When we wake up for a new day, a healthy person will start a production of seratonin and cortisol. Their levels of this will remain farily high with minor fluxuations all day (mainly due to the meals), and then around 6 p.m, or when the sun sets, the person will produce melatonin which tells us we're tired and need to sleep for repairs. Melatonin and seratonin are working in a ying yang pattern in this case.

opposite of serotonin is a lack of it.
Serotonin itself can be involved in happiness, in anger agression etc.
There are various different receptors for serotonin, each receptor will bring a different effect.
Serotonin works within various different brain sites once again causing individual effects.
Serotonin can calm you down, it can also excite you. The effect also depends on the quantity of it.

There's a bid more to it then just happiness. An excess off it or Serotonin Syndrome is not a very "happy" condition xD

Not totally sure about it, neither do I have evidence but I believe it interfers with dopaminergic synaptic transmission. Dopamine, especially dopamine transmission in the frontal lobes involving D1 receptors is
heavily involved in intelligence, working memory etc. Dopamine is also involved in motivation, sexual desire, drives etc. Excess of serotonin I believe disrupts the effectiveness of dopamine transmission.

This post was edited by MyAccountIsOsterHues on Mar 16 2011 02:53am

Yes for the most part. Drugs that made to counter depression are called "SSRI's" aka "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors". These drugs prevent serotonin from being decomposed too quickly..and cause more of it to be sustained in your synapses. However, if serotonin is not allowed to be broken down, it can interfere with your dopaminergic systems. yes dopamine is involved with desire and motivation. And yes serotonin ...too much...will interfere. Usually this is caused by the drugs themselves though as a side effect. This can cause a total lack of sexual motivation...among other things. The same thing would happen if you take Cocaine for too long, except those effects can be almost permanent, and can land you in an almost permanent zombie state if you fry those receptors from a dopamine overload.

agree, that fucking serotonin can worsen restless leg syndrome or add like symptoms by interfering with dopamine

This basically, there isn't actually an opposite just a lack of.

lol at rls

im out of seretenin hlep

What if you often skip meals sometimes for 24 hours or longer, live in a dark basement where your body cant tell if its day or night and sleep odd and irregular hours? would that be enough to screw up your brains functions and make you a depressed anxious wreck that cant look another human being in the eyes without shaking and tembling and feeling a burning pain in the chest?