Richardson J S
Acta Neurobiol Exp (Wars). 1974;34(4):543-62.
Since the neural impulses in the brain are transmitted from one neuron to the next by various chemical mediators such as noradrenaline, dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, etc., the use of drugs acting specifically on one or more of these mediators should illucidate the chemical substrates of behavior. However, recent data indicating an extensive interaction between the various neurotransmitters on a cellular and even synaptic level, suggests that interpreting the behavioral effects of drugs in term of only one neurotransmitter is a potentially misleading oversimplification. Perhaps, rather than the action of a single neurotransmitter, it is the balance between neurotransmitter systems that determines behavior. Because of its rich innervation by noradrenaline, dopamine, serotonin and acetylcholine synapses, the amygdala is ideally suited for monitoring the balance between these neurotransmitters and altering maladaptive behavior based on fluctuations in neurotransmitter balance.
由于大脑中的神经冲动是通过多种化学介质（如去甲肾上腺素、多巴胺、血清素、乙酰胆碱等）从一个神经元传递到下一个神经元的，因此使用专门作用于这些介质中的一种或多种的药物应该能够阐明行为的化学基础。然而，最近的数据表明，各种神经递质在细胞甚至突触水平上存在广泛的相互作用，这表明仅根据一种神经递质来解释药物的行为效应可能是一种潜在的误导性过度简化。也许，决定行为的不是单一神经递质的作用，而是神经递质系统之间的平衡。由于杏仁核接受去甲肾上腺素、多巴胺、血清素和乙酰胆碱突触的丰富神经支配，因此它非常适合监测这些神经递质之间的平衡，并根据神经递质平衡的波动改变适应不良行为。
