Showing papers on "Serotonin published in 1991"

The serotonin syndrome.

Abstract: Objective and method A review of the literature on the serotonin syndrome in animals and human beings was conducted, and 12 reports of 38 cases in human patients were then analyzed to determine the most frequently reported clinical features and drug interactions, as well as the incidence, treatment, and outcome of this syndrome. Findings The serotonin syndrome is most commonly the result of the interaction between serotonergic agents and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. The most frequent clinical features are changes in mental status, restlessness, myoclonus, hyperreflexia, diaphoresis, shivering, and tremor. The presumed pathophysiological mechanism involves brainstem and spinal cord activation of the 1A form of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT) receptor. The incidence of the syndrome is not known. Both sexes have been affected, and patients' ages have ranged from 20 to 68 years. Discontinuation of the suspected serotonergic agent and institution of supportive measures are the primary treatment, although 5-HT receptor antagonists may also play a role. Once treatment is instituted, the syndrome typically resolves within 24 hours, but confusion can last for days, and death has been reported. Conclusions The serotonin syndrome is a toxic condition requiring heightened clinical awareness for prevention, recognition, and prompt treatment. Further work is needed to establish the diagnostic criteria, incidence, and predisposing factors, to identify the role of 5-HT antagonists in treatment, and to differentiate the syndrome from neuroleptic malignant syndrome.

Cloning and expression of a functional serotonin transporter from rat brain.

Abstract: SELECTIVE antagonism of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT) and noradrenaline transport by antidepressants is a key element in the 'amine' hypothesis of affective disorders1. Uptake2,3 and/or transport sites4,5 of 5HT have been reported to be reduced in platelets of patients suffering from depression and in post-mortem brain samples of depressed patients6 and suicide victims7. To date there has been little molecular information available on the structure and regulation of 5HT transporters. Using the polymerase chain reaction8with degenerate oligonucleotides9 derived from two highly conserved regions of the transporters for noradrenaline10 and γ-aminobutyric acid11(GABA), we have identified a large family of related gene products expressed in rodent brain. One of these products hybridizes to a single 3.7-kilobase RNA restricted to rat midbrain and brainstem, where it is highly enriched within the serotonergic raphe complex. Transfection with a single 2.3-kilobase brainstem complementary DNA clone is sufficient to confer expression of a Na+-dependent 5HT transporter upon non-neural cells, with transport selectively and potently antagonized by 5HT uptake-specific antidepressants, including paroxetine, citalopram and fluoxetine.

Cloning of a serotonin transporter affected by antidepressants.

Abstract: A complementary DNA clone for a serotonin (5HT) transporter has been isolated from rat basophilic leukemia cells. The complementary DNA sequence predicts a 653-amino acid protein with 12 to 13 putative transmembrane domains. The 5HT transporter has significant homology to the gamma-aminobutyric acid, dopamine, and norepinephrine transporters. Uptake by CV-1 cells expressing the transporter complementary DNA resembles 5HT uptake by platelets and brain synaptosomes; it is sensitive to antidepressants, amphetamine derivatives, and cocaine.

Divergent effects of serotonin on coronary-artery dimensions and blood flow in patients with coronary atherosclerosis and control patients.

Abstract: Background. Studies in animals have shown that serotonin constricts coronary arteries if the endothelium is damaged, but in vitro studies have revealed a vasodilating effect on isolated coronary segments with an intact endothelium. To investigate the effect of serotonin in humans, we studied coronary-artery cross-sectional area and blood flow before and after the infusion of serotonin in seven patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries and in seven with coronary artery disease. Methods. We measured the cross-sectional area of the coronary artery by quantitative angiography and coronary blood flow with an intracoronary Doppler catheter. Measurements were obtained at base line and during intracoronary infusions of serotonin (0.1, 1, and 10 μg per kilogram of body weight per minute, for two minutes). We repeated the measurements after an infusion of ketanserin, an antagonist of serotonin receptors that is thought to block the effect of serotonin on receptors in the arterial wall but not...

Serotonin facilitates GABAergic transmission in the CA1 region of rat hippocampus in vitro.

Abstract: 1. The effect of serotonin on inhibitory synaptic transmission was examined in forty-one CA1 pyramidal neurones using intracellular voltage recordings in vitro. 2. Serotonin (20-50 microM) increased the synaptic noise of most (85%) neurones loaded with chloride (n = 33). The duration of this effect was enhanced with increasing concentrations of serotonin and was fully reversible within 5 min. When serotonin was applied at short intervals (less than 10 min), fading of the response was observed. 3. The effect of serotonin on synaptic noise persisted in the presence of the glutamate NMDA and non-NMDA antagonists, APV (100 microM) and CNQX (10 microM), but it was blocked (n = 5) by a GABAA antagonist, bicuculline (10 microM). 4. The increase in inhibitory synaptic events resulted from an enhanced frequency of unitary IPSPs from 4.6 +/- 3.8 Hz in control to 17.2 +/- 12.5 Hz (n = 5) in serotonin, especially of large events. Serotonin caused no change in the amplitude and frequency of miniature synaptic events recorded in the presence of TTX (n = 5). The mean amplitude of unitary inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) increased from 1.37 +/- 0.35 mV in control to 3.67 +/- 1.38 mV in serotonin. The coefficient of variation of unitary IPSPs increased from 0.40 +/- 0.11 in control to 0.74 +/- 0.23 in serotonin when quantal size appeared unchanged. 5. The 5-HT3 agonist 2-methyl-serotonin (52 microM, n = 4) partially mimicked the effect of serotonin, increasing the inhibitory noise without affecting the pyramidal neurone conductance. The serotonin-induced facilitation of unitary IPSPs was blocked by the 5-HT3 antagonists ICS 205-930 (1-90 nM, n = 3) and metoclopramide (30 microM, n = 1). 6. These results suggest that serotonin directly excites GABAergic interneurones acting on a 5-HT3 receptor and consequently increasing the frequency of inhibitory synaptic events recorded in CA1 pyramidal cells.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a rat brain cDNA encoding a 5-hydroxytryptamine1B receptor.

Abstract: To date, there have been at least eight different receptors for the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) identified in the central nervous system. These receptors fall into four pharmacological classes: 5-HT1, 5-HT2, 5-HT3 and 5-HT4. The 5-HT1 class has been shown to contain at least four pharmacologically distinct subtypes, 5-HT1A-D. Of these, cDNAs encoding the 5-HT1A and 5-HT1C receptors have been previously characterized. We now report the cloning and expression of a rat brain cDNA encoding another member of the 5-HT1 receptor family. Transient expression of this clone demonstrated high-affinity binding of [3H]5-HT with a pharmacological profile corresponding to that of the 5-HT1B subtype: 5-CT, 5-HT greater than propranolol greater than methysergide greater than rauwolscine greater than 8-OH-DPAT. In situ hybridization revealed expression of cognate mRNA within cells of the dorsal and median raphe nuclei, consistent with previous reports that the 5-HT1B receptor acts as an autoreceptor on 5-HT terminals in this species. mRNA expression was also detected in cells within the CA1 region of hippocampus, striatum, layer 4 of cortex and in the cerebellum, suggesting a previously unrecognized post-synaptic role for the 5-HT1B receptor.

5-HT receptors: subtypes and second messengers.

Abstract: Our knowledge about 5-HT (serotonin, 5-hydroxytryptamine) receptors has gained significantly over the recent few years. The discovery of selective ligands and the use of new techniques have led to a significant increase in the number of recognised receptors subtypes. The present status of awareness is largely related to the use of radioligand binding studies, autoradiography, second messenger analysis and more recently, molecular biological techniques. Three main families of 5-HT receptors, of which subtypes have been described, are now accepted. This heterogeneity is further substantiated by the cloning of the cDNA's of three different 5-HT receptors. This article reviews some of the recent developments which led to the characterisation of 5-HT receptor subtypes.

Molecular biology of serotonin receptors

Abstract: Serotonin (S-hydroxytryptamine; SHT) is a biogenic amine that functions as both a neurotransmitter and a hormone in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) and in the periphery. Within the brain, serotonergic neurons originate primarily in the raphe nuclei of the brainstem and project to most areas of the CNS, where they regulate a wide variety of sensory, motor, and cortical functions (Osborne 1982). In the periphery, serotonin is involved in such diverse functions as the regulation of enteric reflexes, the modulation of platelet shape change and aggregation, the modulation of vascular smooth muscle contraction, the initiation of activity in primary afferent nociceptors, and the regulation of lymphocyte cytotoxicity and phagocytosis (for review see Peroutka 1988, Richardson & Engel 1986). Pharmacological and physiological studies have shown that the multiple actions of serotonin are mediated by several distinct cell surface receptor subtypes, designated SHTl a, Ib, lc, Id, SHT2, SHT3, and SHT4 (Bradley et aI1986). For example, the hallucinatory actions of lysergic acid diethyl­ amide (LSD) and other psychotropic serotonin analogues are probably elicited by activation of cortical 5HT2 (Rasmussen & Aghajanian 1988) or 5HTIc receptors. In contrast, the pain that is produced from applying serotonin to a blister base results from activation of 5HT3 receptors on primary sensory nerve endings (Richardson & Engel 1986). Individual serotonin receptor subtypes exhibit characteristic ligand­ binding profiles and couple to different intracellular signaling systems.

Personality and cerebrospinal fluid monoamine metabolites in alcoholics and controls.

Abstract: • Alcoholics as a group have been consistently reported to show differences from controls on various personality-inventories. Moreover, neurobiologic substrates have been postulated to underlie personality dimensions. Therefore, we compared alcoholics with controls on measures of personality and investigated relationships between measures of personality and cerebrospinal fluid monoamine metabolite concentrations. The alcoholics were significantly different from controls on many personality measurements. There were significant, negative correlations between interview-derived lifetime aggression scores and cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of both the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and the dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid. However, there were no significant correlations between any cerebrospinal fluid monoamine metabolite concentrations and scores on personality inventories.

Fluoxetine, a selective inhibitor of serotonin uptake

Abstract: In summary, fluoxetine is a highly selective serotonin uptake inhibitor in vitro and in vivo. The conformation of fluoxetine, which resembles that of sertraline and other serotonin uptake inhibitors, appears to be a key feature that enables its high affinity and selective interaction with the serotonin transporter. The para-trifluoromethyl substituent, however, is also a pivotal structural element. The molecular pharmacology of fluoxetine has been well-defined, and its in vivo pharmacological effects appear to be mediated almost exclusively by serotonin uptake inhibition. Its selectivity for the serotonin transporter, lack of affinity for neurotransmitter receptors, and retention of selectivity following metabolism to norfluoxetine make fluoxetine a useful tool to explore pharmacologically induced increases in serotonin neurotransmission. Fluoxetine has found a variety of therapeutic application. Its use in treating depression has been most extensively studied, but controlled clinical studies also suggest the drug may have a role in treating obesity and bulimia. Moreover, a variety of other psychiatric disorders may be treatable with this drug. Regardless of the outcome of these clinical trials, it is apparent that fluoxetine has found a useful niche in therapy, and can be used as a probe to determine the role of serotonin in modulating human pathophysiologies.

5-Hydroxytryptamine4-like receptors mediate the slow excitatory response to serotonin in the rat hippocampus.

Abstract: Hippocampal pyramidal neurons of the CA1 region express 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin, 5-HT) receptors which, upon activation, elicit a slow membrane depolarization and a decrease in the calcium-activated afterhyperpolarization present in these cells. Previous electrophysiological studies have shown that this receptor(s) exhibits a pharmacological profile similar to that of the 5-HT1p, 5-HT3 and 5-HT4 subtypes. In the present study, intracellular recordings in rat brain slices were used in order to examine the effects of a variety of compounds that distinguish between these receptor subtypes. Administration of 5-HT in the presence of a 5-HT1A receptor antagonist elicited a depolarization and a concentration-dependent reduction in the amplitude of the afterhyperpolarization. These effects were mimicked by 5-methoxytryptamine and 5-carboxyamidotryptamine but not by 2-methyl-5-HT or phenylbiguanide. Administration of the benzamides BRL 24924, zacopride and cisapride blocked the responses to 5-HT with micromolar affinity although, in a small proportion of the cells tested, BRL 24924 was found to exhibit some agonist activity. This suggests that these compounds function as weak partial agonists in the rat hippocampus. These results establish clear differences between the 5-HT receptor(s) mediating the depolarization and reduction in the afterhyperpolarization in the hippocampus and the 5-HT3 and 5-HT1p receptors and suggest its classification in the 5-HT4 class. Thus, 5-HT4 receptors appear capable of mediating slow excitatory responses to 5-HT in the brain.

Stress- and endotoxin-induced increases in brain tryptophan and serotonin metabolism depend on sympathetic nervous system activity.

Abstract: Stressful treatments and immune challenges have been shown previously to elevate brain concentrations of tryptophan. The role of the autonomic nervous system in this neurochemical change was investigated using pharmacological treatments that inhibit autonomic effects. Pretreatment with the ganglionic blocker chlorisondamine did not alter the normal increases in catecholamine metabolites, but prevented the increase in brain tryptophan normally observed after footshock or restraint, except when the duration of the footshock period was extended to 60 min. The footshock- and restraint-related increases in 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were also prevented by chlorisondamine. The increases in brain tryptophan caused by intraperitoneal injection of endotoxin or interleukin-1 (IL-1) were also prevented by chlorisondamine pretreatment. The footshock-induced increases in brain tryptophan and 5-HIAA were attenuated by the beta-adrenergic antagonist propranolol but not by the alpha-adrenergic antagonist phenoxybenzamine or the muscarinic cholinergic antagonist atropine. Thus the autonomic nervous system appears to be involved in the stress-related changes in brain tryptophan, and this effect is due to the sympathetic rather than the parasympathetic limb of the system. Moreover, the main effect of the sympathetic nervous system is exerted on beta- as opposed to alpha-adrenergic receptors. We conclude that activation of the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the stress-related increases in brain tryptophan, probably by enabling increased brain tryptophan uptake. Endotoxin and IL-1 also elevate brain tryptophan, presumably by a similar mechanism. The increase in brain tryptophan appears to be necessary to sustain the increased serotonin catabolism to 5-HIAA that occurs in stressed animals, and which may reflect increased serotonin release.

Serotonin receptor subtypes : basic and clinical aspects

Abstract: Molecular Characterization of Three Serotonin Receptor Subtypes Medical Chemistry of Serotonergic Agents The Molecular Pharmacology of 5-Hydroxytryptamine Receptor Subtypes Biochemistry of 5-Hydroxytryptamine Receptor Subtypes: Coupling to Second Messenger Systems The Electrophysiology of Serotonin Receptor Subtypes Serotonin Neurotoxins: Focus on MDMA (3,4- Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, "Ecstasy") Serotonin and Animal Behaviour The Clinical Utility of Serotonin Receptor Active Agents in Neuropsychiatric Disease.

Monoamine reuptake inhibitors enhance the discriminative state induced by cocaine in the rat.

Abstract: Cocaine inhibits the reuptake of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and serotonin (5-HT). To investigate the relative role of such reuptake processes in the discriminative stimulus properties of cocaine, male rats (N=16) were trained to discriminate cocaine (10 mg/kg) from saline in a two-lever, water-reinforced drug discrimination task and were administered neuroactive compounds during substitution or combination tests. The DA reuptake inhibitor GBR 12909 (2–16 mg/kg) completely mimicked cocaine. The reuptake inhibitors for NE (desipramine; 2–8 mg/kg) and 5-HT (fluoxetine; 0.625–5 mg/kg) did not substitute for the training drug. A low dose of either desipramine (3 mg/kg), fluoxetine (1.25 mg/kg), or GBR 12909 (2 mg/kg) coadministered with low doses of cocaine (0.625–2.5 mg/kg) enhanced the discriminative stimulus properties of this psychostimulant. The dose predicted to elicit 50% drug-lever responding is reduced (ED50) in the presence of desipramine (0.38 mg/kg), fluoxetine (0.79 mg/kg) or GBR 12909 (0.84 mg/kg) compared to the ED50 for cocaine (1.57 mg/kg) in the absence of any reuptake inhibitor. The finding that GBR 12909 mimics the cocaine cue corroborates the hypothesis that the stimulus properties of cocaine are mediated predominantly by DA systems. The potentiation of the stimulus effects of cocaine by monoamine reuptake inhibitors in rats suggests that these drugs could also amplify the subjective effects of cocaine in humans, a possibility that should be considered given the current use of antidepressants in the treatment of cocaine abusers.