serotonin

(noun)

an indoleamine neurotransmitter that is involved in depression, appetite, etc., and is crucial in maintaining a sense of well-being, security, etc.

Related Terms

Examples of serotonin in the following topics:

  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Mental Illnesses

    • Some research supports the "classic monoamine hypothesis," which suggests that depression is caused by a decrease in norepinephrine and serotonin neurotransmission.
    • For example, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO inhibitors) block the enzyme that degrades many neurotransmitters (including dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine), resulting in increased neurotransmitter in the synaptic cleft.
    • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) block the reuptake of serotonin into the presynaptic neuron.
    • This blockage results in an increase in serotonin in the synaptic cleft.
    • Other types of drugs, such as norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors and norepinephrine-serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are also used to treat depression.

  • Hypersensitivities

    • Upon subsequent exposure to the same allergen, IgE molecules on mast cells bind the antigen via their variable domains, stimulating the mast cell to release the modified amino acids histamine and serotonin.