Brain Fumes: Yes, We Have NO Brain Gas

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is "laughing gas," one of the earliest known inhalation anesthetics. Nitric oxide (NO) is a far different gas, although the two are often confused. It is NO that is made by the brain and used as a neurotransmitter, not N₂O. Incredible as it may appear, NO, a poisonous unstable gas, which is part of car fumes and helps deplete the ozone layer, is also a chemical messenger both in the brain and in blood vessels.