Serotonin in Biological News

Lack of happiness hormone serotonin in the brain causes impaired maternal behavior in mice

... the researchers discovered that the presence of serotonin in the brain is not crucial for the survival of ... that there are two strictly separate pathways of serotonin production: One gene is responsible for the formation of serotonin in the brain, another gene for the production of ...

The genetics of fear: Study suggests specific genetic variations contribute to anxiety disorders

... thought to play a role in anxiety disorders: the serotonin transporter gene and the gene for the enzyme COMT. serotonin is a brain chemical involved in mood regulation. The serotonin transporter, which is the target of ...

Researchers iron out new role for serotonin

... traits linked to subtle genetic variation. The serotonin transporter protein (SERT) regulates serotonin availability in the brain and periphery, and ... a major target for medications like the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) used for treating ...

Irritable bowel syndrome can have genetic causes

... lead to overstimulation of the bowel serotonin plays an important role in the complex processes ... receptors are located in the intestine, to which serotonin attaches according to the lock and key principle ... a PhD student in the team. Medication blocks serotonin receptors ...

Likely cause of postpartum blues and depression identified

... platelets that enable blood clotting also secrete serotonin which prompts platelets to aggregate and the ... Dr. Vadivel Ganapathy first reported evidence of serotonin transporter gene expression in the placenta back ... move in to stop it, Dr. Prasad explains. serotonin levels begin to rise and interact with receptors ...

Study of marine snail leads to new insights into long-term memory

... during learning in snails, the neurotransmitter serotonin binds to receptors on the presynaptic axon and, ... Glanzman said. "What we think happens is when serotonin binds to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron, it ... Why does it have to be so complicated? Why can't serotonin just cause the presynaptic change all by itself? ...

Sex differences in the brain's serotonin system

... Karolinska Institutet shows that the brains serotonin system differs between men and women. The ... anxiety are more common in women than in men. serotonin is a brain neurotransmitter that is critical to ... in terms of the number of binding sites for serotonin in certain parts of the brain. Their results, ...

Why serotonin can cause depression and anxiety

... roles in different states of health. serotonin appears to be one of the major players in mood ... wouldnt consider taking it. In healthy subjects, serotonin appears important for this automatic avoidance. ... has long been suggested that over-activity of the serotonin system may relate to mood disorders such as ...

New treatment mechanisms for schizophrenia

... that is analogous to the use of SSRIs [selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors] for the treatment of ... that a recently discovered brain receptor for serotonin (5-HT7) might be of importance for understanding ... and finds that blockade of this particular serotonin receptor in mice alleviates this impairment. ...

Women more depressed and men more impulsive with reduced serotonin functioning

... most studied. It is already known that reduced serotonin transmission contributes to the pathophysiology, ... of todays most popular antidepressants block the serotonin uptake site, also known as the transporter, in ... the way that men and women react to reductions in serotonin function, specifically in terms of their mood and ...

22nd Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Sept. 12-16, 2009, Turkey

... target and minimising adverse events. For instance, the signalling of serotonin is mediated by 14 receptor subtypes. As one of the main mediators of the neurotransmitter action the serotonin (1A) subtype is of particular interest, since evidence indicates that it ...

UBC researchers develop new method to study gambling addictions

... can be impaired or improved with drugs that affect brain dopamine and serotonin levels suggesting that these neurotransmitters may moderate gambling ... study found that rodents treated with drugs that reduced their levels of serotonin levels associated with impulse control in humans dramatically reduced ...

Brain protein central to both Parkinson's, drug addiction identified

... depression. Many anti-depressants work by allowing the brain chemical serotonin to stay available in the brain longer than it otherwise would. Since one of oct3's functions is to remove serotonin from the brain, blocking it may offer a new avenue to treat depression. ...

Team identifies a molecular switch linking infectious disease and depression

... seen in patients with inflammatory disease was due to a decrease in serotonin in the brain. But a check of serotonin in the brains of mice with depressive-like behavior showed otherwise, ...

'Neurological work-arounds' offer hope to people with monoamine-related disorders

... also be able to compensate for problems with key neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. This finding may open the doors to entirely new lines of ... brain cells to be unable to release monoamine neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. Fruit flies were used in the study because they are ...

Genes determine whether sugar pills work

... also analyzed two genes that influence the reabsorption and synthesis of serotonin in the brain (the serotonin transporter gene and the tryptophan hydroxylase-2 gene). The findings ...

Study reveals possible genetic risk for fetal alcohol disorders

... of Health, Schneider investigated two forms of a gene called the serotonin transporter gene promoter, which helps regulate the brain chemical ... weaning, and determined whether they carried the short or long form of the serotonin transporter gene promoter. What the researchers found is that fetal ...

Low oxygen in coastal waters impairs fish reproduction

... a chemical important for brain function called serotonin. The decrease in serotonin was caused by a decrease in an enzyme that plays a role in the serotonin synthesis pathway. Atlantic croaker is one of the most common inshore ...

Genetic marker linked to problem behaviors in adults with developmental disabilities

... A common variation of the gene involved in regulating serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain may be linked to problem behaviors in adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, new research ....

A genetic link to premature ejaculation

... to genetic factors, and is not just psychological. In an earlier study, researchers in The Netherlands linked premature ejaculation to a gene for serotonin regulation in a group of two hundred men. The new data from Finland independently show a genetic link to premature ejaculation in a much larger ...

Chinese slimming capsules

... of the formulation has shown that it also contains the active substance sibutramine, which resembles amphetamine and which inhibits the reuptake of serotonin and noradrenaline in the brain. The sibutramine dose in each capsule corresponded to twice the daily maximum dose of the prescription drug in ....

Penn biophysicists create new model for protein-cholesterol interactions in brain and muscle tissue

... effect of general anesthetics and addiction to alcohol, nicotine and cocaine. Moreover, the results apply to closely related receptors that bind serotonin and GABA, which are neurotransmitters directly involved in regulation of mood and sleep. The findings have broad implications for, among other ...

Michael J. Fox Foundation PD Therapeutics Conference

... diabetes drug that may protect dopamine neurons in the Parkinson's brain Anders Bjrkund, MD, PhD (Lund University, Sweden), on the role of serotonin (better known for the part it plays in depression) in dyskinesias, the disruptive movements brought on by long-term dopamine replacement therapy ...

Political participation is partially rooted in genetic inheritance

... that have previously been shown to account for variation in social behavior. Among those, MAOA and 5HTT are known to exert a strong influence on the serotonin system regulating fear, trust, and social interaction. Hypothesizing that persons with more efficient versions of these genes would be more likely ...

Biocapture surfaces produced for study of brain chemistry

... serotonin, is chemically linked to the tether molecules. Since the defects in the SAM occur at irregular but controllable intervals, serotonin molecules are prevented from clumping together. This is key to their being recognized by the correct proteins. When the surface is exposed to a ...

Researchers' discovery may lead to hypertension treatment

... is a steroid hormone, this newly discovered molecule is structurally more similar to such amino acid-derived neurotransmitters as dopamine and serotonin and, therefore, may also play other roles in the body. "Now, we want to know what other functions these compounds have and whether they directly ...

Gene variations contribute to aggression and anger in women

... may be genetic, rooted in variations in a serotonin receptor gene. Indrani Halder, Ph.D., of the ... Previous studies have associated the hormone serotonin with anger and aggression in both humans and animals and have shown that increased serotonin activity is related to a decrease in angry and ...

A potential biological cause for sudden infant death syndrome

... infants who have abnormalities in their brainstem serotonin system. The brainstem serotonin system is thought to help coordinate breathing, ... But in babies who die from SIDS, defects in the serotonin system may impair these reflexes, the researchers ...

Low levels of neurotransmitter serotonin may perpetuate child abuse across generations

... transmits impulses in the brain. Low levels of serotonin are associated with anxiety and depression and ... who became abusive mothers in adulthood had lower serotonin in their brains than abused females who did not ... that treatments with drugs that increase brain serotonin early in an abused child's life could reduce the ...

Gene linked with mental illness shapes brain region, researchers find

... cells release serotonin, a molecule called the serotonin transporter (SERT) brings it back into the cell. Thus, serotonin has only a brief influence on the target neurons. ... used to treat patients with depression. The serotonin transporter gene has two forms, or variants: ...

Proteins necessary for brain development found to be critical for long-term memory

... animals are shocked, a brain chemical known as serotonin is released that promotes the formation of a ... factors and the TrkB receptors, they found that serotonin alone was not enough to retain the long-term ... secretion of these growth factors in response to serotonin would be critical for long-term memory formation ...

Adolescent but not adult hamsters are more aggressive on low dose of fluoxetine

... as in adults." Fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), is the only medication ... that because adolescents may have lower levels of serotonin than adults, there may not be enough of it in ... whether changing ratios of different subtypes of serotonin receptors ?some of which inhibit and some of ...

Serotonin, acting in a specific brain region, promotes sleep in fruit flies

... showed that pharmacological treatment with serotonin increases the amount, as well as the quality, of sleep. serotonin even improves sleep in certain mutant flies that ... less or have fragmented sleep, suggesting that serotonin treatment can overcome some deficits caused by ...

Nobelist discovers antidepressant protein in mouse brain

... located on the surface of receiving cells. serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), ... and depression, compensate for reduction in serotonin signaling by boosting levels and binding of serotonin to receptors. Previous studies have suggested ...

Commonly used antidepressants may also affect human immune system

... depression by manipulating the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain may also affect the user's immune ... the investigators found, for the first time, that serotonin is passed between key cells in the immune system, ... know yet, however, whether these SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) drugs "including the brands ...

Worms know bad food when they smell it

... gotten sick,'" Bargmann said. The role of serotonin suggests that this type of learning may be a ... Bargmann said. In humans, the vast majority of serotonin is produced by cells in the intestine, where its ... experience intestinal damage, which sends a serotonin signal to the brain that triggers nausea. "People ...

Depression gene may weaken mood-regulating circuit

... depression-linked gene. The gene codes for the serotonin transporter, the protein in brain cells that ... resulting in less recycling, increased levels of serotonin in the synapse, and more serotonin-triggered ... in this circuit, which is influenced by the serotonin transporter gene." ...

Ecstasy can harm the brains of first-time users

... once. Ecstasy targets neurons in the brain that use the chemical serotonin to communicate. serotonin plays an important role in regulating a number of mental processes ...

Ever-happy mice may hold key to new treatment of depression

... for clinical depression. TREK-1 is a gene that can affect transmission of serotonin in the brain. serotonin is known to play an important role in mood, sleep and sexuality. By ...