Rethinking serotonin could lead to a shift in psychiatric care
Serotonin is a neurotransmitte r which helps brain cells communicate with one another, playing important roles in stabilising mood and regulating stress. Despite its importance, current models to explain serotonin's function in the brain remain incomplete. Now, in a review paper published this month in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, researchers from Imperial College London suggest that serotonin pathways are more nuanced than previously thought. They argue that the existing view should be updated to incorporate a 'two-pronged' model of how serotonin acts. The researchers believe their updated model could have implications for treating recalcitrant mental health conditions, including depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and addiction, and could exploit the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs. In the brain, serotonin acts via a number of sites called 'receptors' and serotonin has at least 14 of these. Brain drugs such antidepressants, anti...