Serotonin

ContentWhat is Serotonin?

What is it used for?

What’s the effect (too much/too little of it)?

Factors that may cause Imbalance in serotonin

Case study

Drugs

What’s SerotoninNeurotransmitter

Known as 5 hydroxytryptamine

Found in:

Pinal gland

Digestive tract

Central nervous system

Blood platelets

What is it used for?

Control the mood of a person

Regulate sleep

Arousal levels

Social behavior

What’s the effect?Too little:

Eating disordersPanic attacksOCD

Too much:AnxietyInsomniaSexual dysfunctionGastrointestinal disturbances

Factors that may cause Imbalance in

serotoninLow brain cell production of serotonin

A lack of receptor sites able to receive the serotonin that is made

Inability of serotonin to reach the receptor sites

A shortage in tryptophan

Case study

72-hour pilgrimage, Japan

Did not consume water or food

Hallucinate after 48 hours

Blood sample showed serotonin levels had increased

SSRIs:Most commonly used antidepressantSymptoms

Examples:Citalopram (Celexa)Escitalopram (Lexapro)Fluoxetine (Prozac)Paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva)Sertraline (Zoloft

Drugs

ReferencesFeature, Colette BouchezWebMD. "Serotonin and Depression: 9 Questions and Answers." WebMD. WebMD, 30 Dec. 0089. Web. 13 Sept. 2013. <http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/serotonin>Nordqvist, Christian. "What Is Serotonin? What Does Serotonin Do?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 04 Aug. 2011. Web. 13 Sept. 2013. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232248.php>M. Stahl, Stephen. "Serotonin: It's Possible to Have Too Much of a Good Thing/Brainstorms December 1997." Serotonin: It's Possible to Have Too Much of a Good Thing/Brainstorms December 1997. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2013. Crane, John & Hannibal, Jette. “Biological level of analysis: psychology and behavior” Psychology Course Companion. Oxford, 2009.