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Serotonin

Related Topics:

• norepinephrine / dopamine

Medications that may increase serotonin:

• see anti-depressants

Supplements that may increase serotonin:

• St. John's wort / 5-HTP

News & Research:

• Serotonin Loss May Drive Cognitive Decline - Medscape, 8/22/17 - "In comparison with control participants, for patients with MCI, levels of serotonin transporters were lower in cortical and limbic areas that are typically affected by pathologic processes in AD. Levels were also lower in sensory and motor areas, the striatum, and the thalamus, which are relatively spared in AD" - Note:  So does that mean taking 5-HTP might help prevent Alzheimer's?  I don't think they know.
• Serotonin deficiency implicated in rheumatoid arthritis - Science Daily, 3/9/16 - "both the number and activity of osteoclasts were higher in 5-HT-deficient mice with arthritis. In addition, more bone resorption was detected both at the affected joints and at remote sites ... The serotonin-deficient mice with arthritis also showed changes in certain cell-signaling molecules known as cytokines (higher IL-17, higher TNF-α, and lower IL-4) in their paws. Specifically, they displayed a shift in the balance between T cell subtypes, especially regulatory T cells and Th17 lymphocytes ... "Altogether, our data show that 5-HT?deficient mice are characterized by a relative, dampened expansion of Treg associated with an enhanced shift toward a Th17 phenotype, a situation previously described in patients with arthritis" - I don't know what all the means but it raises the question whether taking 5-HTP might help.
• Individuals with social phobia have too much serotonin -- not too little - Science Daily, 6/17/15 - "Social phobia is commonly medicated using SSRI compounds. These change the amount of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. Based on previous studies, it was believed that individuals with social phobia had too little serotonin and that SSRIs increased the amount of available serotonin. In a new study published in the scientific journal JAMA Psychiatry, researchers from the Department of Psychology at Uppsala University show that individuals with social phobia make too much serotonin ... Serotonin can increase anxiety and not decrease it as was previously often assumed"
• Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D may control brain serotonin, affecting behavior and psychiatric disorders - Science Daily, 2/25/15 - "Serotonin affects a wide-range of cognitive functions and behaviors including mood, decision-making, social behavior, impulsive behavior, and even plays a role in social decision-making by keeping in check aggressive social responses or impulsive behavior ... Many clinical disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and depression share as a unifying attribute low brain serotonin ... This publication suggests that optimizing intakes of vitamin D, EPA, and DHA would optimize brain serotonin concentrations and function, possibly preventing and ameliorating some of the symptoms associated with these disorders without side effects" - See fish oil supplements at Amazon.com, Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com and vitamin D at Amazon.com.
• Omega-3 reduces ADHD symptoms in rats - Science Daily, 8/23/13 - "The results show a clear improvement in ADHD-related behaviour from supplements of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as a faster turnover of the signal substances dopamine, serotonin and glutamate in the nervous system ... The new findings indicate that ADHD has a biological component and that the intake of omega-3 may influence ADHD symptoms ... we have without a doubt found molecular changes in the brain after rats with ADHD were given omega-3 ... We saw that the turnover of dopamine and serotonin took place much faster among the male rats that had been given omega-3 than among those that had not. For serotonin the turnover ratio was three times higher, and for dopamine it was just over two and a half times higher" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.
• Early gut bacteria regulate happiness - Science Daily, 6/12/12 - "UCC scientists have shown that brain levels of serotonin, the 'happy hormone' are regulated by the amount of bacteria in the gut during early life ... normal adult brain function depends on the presence of gut microbes during development. Serotonin, the major chemical involved in the regulation of mood and emotion, is altered in times of stress, anxiety and depression and most clinically effective antidepressant drugs work by targeting this neurochemical ... Scientists at the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre in UCC used a germ-free mouse model to show that the absence of bacteria during early life significantly affected serotonin concentrations in the brain in adulthood ... Finally, when the scientists colonized the animals with bacteria prior to adulthood, they found that many of the central nervous system changes, especially those related to serotonin, could not be reversed indicating a permanent imprinting of the effects of absence of gut flora on brain function" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.
• A link between oxytocin and serotonin in humans: Supporting evidence from peripheral markers - Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2012 Jan 30 - "Pharmacological studies indicate a functional interaction between the serotonergic and oxytocinergic systems. In particular, some selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors, such as citalopram and fluvoxamine, seem to exert part of their antidepressant effects through oxytocin (OT) release. Further, the administration of fenfluramine, a serotonergic agonist, to healthy subjects increases plasma OT levels. Interestingly, immunocytochemical and double-immunofluorescent techniques revealed a high degree of overlap between 5-HT transporter (SERT)-labeled fibers and OT-containing cells ... This result represents the first evidence of an interaction between OT and SERT, as measured by [(3)H]-Par binding, at peripheral levels in humans. Given the several activities mediated by both OT and 5-HT, such a relationship might provide new perspectives and insights into psychiatric disorders and/or social relationship disturbances, as well as novel treatment strategies overcoming and/or integrating the serotonergic paradigm" - See oxytocin 6x5iu tablets at International Antiaging Systems or Oxytocin Factor.
• Serotonin levels affect the brain's response to anger - Science Daily, 9/15/11
• A gut-full of probiotics for your neurological well-being - Science Daily, 7/5/11 - "A recent study in mice, for example, showed that the presence of neurochemicals such a serotonin in the bloodstream was due to direct uptake from the gut ... Until recently the idea that probiotic bacteria administered to the intestine could influence the brain seemed almost surreal ... Yet in Lyte's paper the concept is supported by studies showing that microbes can produce and respond to neurochemicals, which can induce neurological and immunological effects on the host ... The research presents an idea for selecting probiotic strains with neurological applications and linking this with immune-modulatory effects, while highlighting the fact that microbial strains already being widely ingested in fermented food can produce neurochemicals" - See Garden of Life Primal Defense HSO Probiotic Formula at Amazon.com.
• How serotonin works: Findings point to new treatments for schizophrenia and depression - Science Daily, 10/5/10
• Is Exercise the Best Drug for Depression - Time Magazine, 6/19/10 - "depressed adults who participated in an aerobic exercise plan improved as much as those treated with sertraline, the drug that was marketed as Zoloft ... Subsequent trials have repeated these results, showing again and again that patients who undergo aerobic exercise regimens see comparable improvement in their depression as those treated with medication, and that both groups do better than patients given only a placebo ... exercise may alter brain chemistry in much the same way that antidepressant drugs do — regulating the key neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine"
• Serotonin May Be a Key to Treat Osteoporosis - WebMD, 2/7/10
• Low Serotonin Levels May Be Key to SIDS - WebMD, 2/2/10
• Lack Of 'Happiness Hormone' Serotonin In Brain Causes Impaired Maternal Behavior In Mice - Science Daily, 6/23/09
• Serotonin Link To Impulsivity, Decision-making, Confirmed - Science Daily, 6/5/08
• Seasonal Depression Tied to Serotonin - WebMD, 9/19/07
• Serotonin Implicated in Atherosclerosis - Medscape, 8/23/07
• Serotonin Syndrome - Medscape, 11/29/06
• Serotonin may be key to cycle of abuse - MSNBC, 11/2/06
• Serotonin May Play Role In Hardening Of The Arteries - Science Daily, 3/4/06
• Brain Chemical May Be Key in Eating Disorders - WebMD, 9/6/05 - "Dopamine is a chemical involved in weight, feeding behaviors, reinforcement, and reward. Now they are reporting that women who have recovered from eating disorders show abnormal levels of serotonin"
• Vitamin D May Ease Depression - WebMD, 8/3/04 - "Vitamin D supplementation ... may also relieve depression ... Basically, what vitamin D does is increase levels of the [chemical] serotonin in the brain ... About 90% of patients in my hospital are vitamin D deficient" - See iHerb vitamin D products.
• Corticosteroids, depression and the role of serotonin - Rev Neurosci. 2004;15(2):109-16 - "corticosteroids lower serotonin levels ... lowered serotonin levels may result in depression, aggression and other psychological conditions"
• Sex, Sexuality, and Serotonin - Medscape, 7/20/04 - "From our study of the brain, we have some nice evidence that elevated activity of dopamine is involved in that intense sense of passion and arousal of romantic love. I also maintain in my book, Why We Love, that we're going to find out sometime that norepinephrine is also involved, largely because heightened activity of norepinephrine is also associated with focused attention, elevated energy, motivation to win a reward, elation, and 2 characteristics of romantic love -- obsessional following and object imprinting ... low activity levels of serotonin are going to be involved"
• Low carbs cause mood 'lows' - Nutra USA, 3/2/04 - "a lack of carbohydrates will reduce levels of the mood-regulating hormone seratonin"
• HCA, better than ephedra? - Nutra USA, 2/4/04 - "study’s principal investigator, Dr Harry Preuss of Georgetown University Medical Center ... Super CitriMax performed a function not noted in ephedra however - it significantly increased serum serotonin levels (a mechanism of appetite control and eating behavior) and lowered serum leptin levels, a biomarker of the gene that regulates obesity" - See HCA products at iHerb.
• Hormones for Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Depression - Psychiatric Times, 1/04 - "Estrogen inhibits MAO, thereby diminishing the degradation of norepinephrine and serotonin and thus increasing their activity, while progesterone has the reverse impact on MAO"
• Serotonin Receptors May Be Linked to Spirituality - Psychiatric News, 1/2/04
• Increasing Serotonin Crucial for Treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - Doctor's Guide, 11/14/03
• Depression-Serotonin Link: Many Mysteries Remain - Psychiatric News, 5/2/03
• Targeting 5HT Receptors Might Control Alzheimer's Dementia - Doctor's Guide, 2/19/03 - "Compromised serotonergic function might contribute significantly to cognitive decline in senile dementia and in ageing ... acute tryptophan depletion impaired tasks of working memory in both groups"
• Brain Serotonin Production Directly Related To Degree Of Sunlight - Doctor's Guide, 12/5/02
• Unraveling the Sun's Role in Depression - WebMD, 12/5/02 - "regardless of the season, the turnover of serotonin in the brain was affected by the amount of sunlight on any given day. And the levels of serotonin were higher on bright days than on overcast or cloudy ones. In fact, the rate of serotonin production in the brain was directly related to the duration of bright sunlight"
• The Neurobiology of Depression: Focus on Serotonin - Medscape, 11/21/03
• New Antidepressant [Cymbalta] Works Faster - WebMD, 11/11/02 - "Cymbalta affects two different brain chemical messengers -- serotonin and norepinephrine"
• Omega-3 May Cut Bipolar Symptoms in Pregnancy - Clinical Psychiatry News, 8/02 - "Omega-3 fatty acids also boost the brain's levels of serotonin" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.
• Milnacipran Effective In Post-Stroke Depression - Doctor's Guide, 5/29/02
• Depression Linked to Parkinson's - WebMD, 5/28/02 - "About 1.4% (19) of the depressed people (about 1.4%) developed Parkinson's compared with only 0.4% of the others ... the link may have a biological explanation, known as the "serotonin hypothesis." Not only do people with Parkinson's disease have lower levels of dopamine in the brain, studies have also shown that the brains of these patients also have reduced levels of another brain chemical, serotonin. Low levels of serotonin are known to be a key factor in depression" - Note: St. Johns wort is believed to increase all three of the brain's primary chemicals, serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.
• Serotonin Could Mediate Heart Disease Link With Depression - Clinical Psychiatry News, 5/02
• Which Antidepression Drug Is Best? - WebMD, 4/30/02 - "As initial therapy for depression, most doctors tend to use newer drugs that target a specific brain chemical -- serotonin -- involved in depression. These drugs, called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs ... Effexor does this, too, but it isn't quite as specific. It also increases the amount of another chemical -- norepinephrine -- in the brain ... Those who received Effexor were 43% more likely to have their depression go into remission than those taking SSRIs"
• St. John's Wort: Effective, with Caveats - Nutrition Science News, 3/02 - "Using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, 47 percent of those taking St. John's wort improved compared with 40 percent of those taking the sertraline ... Hyperforin increases the effectiveness of norepinephrine, dopamine, L-glutamate, and gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), as well as serotonin. Researchers in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Frankfurt in Germany concluded, "no other antidepressant compound exhibits a similar broad uptake-inhibiting profile.""
• Study Finds Newborn Mice Deprived Of Serotonin Experience Adult Anxiety - Intelihealth, 3/27/02