Serotonin

Serotonin is one of several chemical messengers in the brain, or neurotransmitters, which help brain cells communicate with one another. Among many other functions, serotonin is involved in regulating mood. Problems with making or using the right amount of serotonin have been linked to many mental disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, autism, and schizophrenia.

What is Serotonin?

Serotonin is an example of a neurotransmitter, a chemical messenger that is passed between nerve cells. When a nerve impulse reaches the axon at the end of a nerve, neurotransmitters are released which cross an area called the synapse to be received by a specific receptor on the end of a target nerve. Once received by the target nerve, the neurotransmitter may either excite that nerve to fire its own signal or prevent it from firing the signal.

Serotonin Function

Serotonin Biosynthesis

Drugs Targeting the 5-HT System

Serotonin Pathology

Serotonin in Plants

The Relationship Between Serotonin and 5-HTP

Do Serotonin and Antidepressants Affect the Microbiome?

Serotonin and Aggression

Latest Serotonin News and Research

Brain imaging may predict treatment outcomes for adolescents with anxiety disorders

As with any complex machine, sometimes a simple crossed wire or short circuit can cause problems with how it functions. The same goes for our brains, and even when the short circuit is uncovered, sometimes experts don't have a quick fix.

31 Mar 2021

Obesity and ethnicity identified as key risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 exposure in UK

The risk factors for severe COVID-19 have been established on the basis of observational studies. However, SARS-CoV-2 continues to cause thousands of COVID-19 cases all over the world, and the risk factors are unclear. A new study deals with this aspect of the pandemic.

31 Mar 2021

Study reveals a novel mechanism of circulatory response to stressful events

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba discover a novel mechanism by which the brain regulates the cardiovascular system in response to stress.

30 Mar 2021

Scientists seek Covid treatment answers in cheap, older drugs

Could a decades-old antidepressant be a secret weapon against covid? A few scientists think so, after two small studies showed that fluvoxamine, typically prescribed for obsessive-compulsive disorder, prevented serious illness in all participants who took the pills soon after developing symptoms.

29 Mar 2021

Researchers discover new mechanism that contributes to airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma

In asthma, the airways become hyperresponsive. Researchers from Uppsala University have found a new mechanism that contributes to, and explains, airway hyperresponsiveness.

13 Mar 2021

Antidepressants provide no important benefits for managing low back pain

A new systematic review led by UNSW Sydney has found that treating low back pain with antidepressant medicines provides no important benefits and has the potential to cause harm.

8 Mar 2021

Structural insights into glycine transporter open new avenues to find effective psychiatric drugs

Glycine can stimulate or inhibit neurons in the brain, thereby controlling complex functions. Unraveling the three-dimensional structure of the glycine transporter, researchers have now come a big step closer to understanding the regulation of glycine in the brain.

4 Mar 2021

In Vivo Probes for Detecting Inflammation Markers in Humans and Animals

News-Medical talks to Parry Hashemi about research on in vivo probes for detecting inflammation markers in humans and animals she will present at Pittcon.

From Pittcon 24 Feb 2021

Molecular modeling helps identify the binding site of antidepressantss

The effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and other conventional antidepressants are believed to be based on their increasing the levels of serotonin and noradrenalin in synapses, while ketamine, a new rapid-acting antidepressant, is thought to function by inhibiting receptors for the neurotransmitter glutamate.

19 Feb 2021

Study provides new insight into the effects of antidepressant drugs

18 Feb 2021

Researchers detect signs of depression in Spanish tweets

Researchers of the Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB) from UPF and Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) in Barcelona, Spain, have identified behavioural and linguistic changes in tweets in Spanish published by users suffering from depression and who are taking medication to treat this disease.

15 Feb 2021