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Serotonin (also known as 5-HT):

- Where is it?
- Neurotransmitter (the chemical signals that neurons use to communicate with each other) usually found in the a region of the
brain called the Raphe nuclei (this nuclei is found in the pons, medulla, midbrain)
- The other place they like to talk about serotonin synthesis is the gut/digestive system and the platelets in blood. It does something
with increasing motility of the gut. In the blood vessel platelets it causes localized vasoconstriction and helps form a clot/scab.
- What is it made of?
- Synthesized from an amino acids called tryptophan.
- Tryptophan + Enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase (adds OH groups to tryptophan) > 5-hydroxytryptophan + Enzyme L-aromatic
amino acid decarboxylase (removes a COOH group) > Serotonin + Some Enzyme Name > melatonin.
- Essentially Tryptophan > 5-hydroxytryptophan > serotonin > melatonin. Enzymes do not change, those are just new
ones that pop in to act on that thingie.
- Tryptophan hydroxyl might be a hydroxylated tryptophan = tryptophan amino acid molecules with OH groups (oxygen and
hydrogen) added to it.
- But be careful because tryptophan can also go down this pathway. Just because you see Tryptophan, you cant be like
SEROTONIN, is what Im warning you about.
- Tryptophan > Niacin > NAD+/NADP+
- What does it do?
- If its at normal or slightly higher levels it acts to decrease anxiety and depression.
- What happens if the levels ARE TOO HIGH? Well it will cause toxicity. Symptoms are hyperthermia, confusion, cardiovascular
instability, flushing, diarrhea, and seizures. Seen if take too many SSRIs, SNRIs, MAO-Is, TCAs or mix these drugs
- What happens if you block serotonin reuptake in the synapses? Well, you will increase its concentration in the synapse. This
means that it will carry out its normal function of decreasing anxiety and depression for a longer period of time/have a stronger
effect.
- Drugs will usually cause this - the classes are SSRIs (used to treat depression and anxiety), SNRIs (used to treat depression
and anxiety), and MAO-Is (used to treat depression and anxiety).
- What happens if you increase serotonin in the synapses? Well, you will decrease its concentration in the synapse and make the
person more prone to feeling anxious or depressed.
- anything to lowers tryptophan in your body can do that, or the cofactors required to convert tryptophan to serotonin (BH4 and
B6).
- anything that will increase reputake of serotonin into the neurons, or hold it inside in the neuron, or degrade serotonin while its
in the neuron. MAO will degrade serotonin inside the neuron. I don't know specifics about the other two scenarios.
- How does it do it?
- Raphe of nuclei neuron cells take up tryptophan and make serotonin. Then the presynaptic neuron will release.
- Tryptophan hydroxylase adds the hydroxyl group, you get something called a 5-hydroxytryptophan. This product gets
decarboxylated by aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase to produce serotonin.
- Serotonin is stored in synaptic vesicles (like little bags filled with serotonin, just held in storage inside the neuron cell) and
docked at the nerve terminals (its tethered to the inside of the neuron membrane by a protein), where it awaits nerve
stimulation/neuron signaling (which will release it into the synapse)
- Postynaptically serotonin will bind to its receptor (G-protein coupled receptor, meaning it will signal through a second messenger
cascade) and cause a a decrease in anxiety and depression. (Dont know specifics about this.) When its done doing its thing, it
re-enters the presynaptic cell in its original form as serotonin through a membrane channel (re-uptake channel thing). There it ca
either reenter a bag for storage or get broken down into trytophan/its smaller components by MAO enzyme.
Arousal is the physiological and psychological state of being awake. arousal, attention, and motivation. ACh role in enhancement of
sensory perceptions when we wake up[2] and in sustaining attention. Helps makes decisions, learning and plasticity in cortex appear
dependent on the presence of acetylcholine.
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, is glutamate receptor and ion channel protein found in nerve cells. activated when glutamate and
glycine (or D-serine) bind to it, and when activated it allows positively charged ions (cations) to flow through the cell membrane,
depolarizing it. Responsible for strength of synapse connections and memory. Found post-synaptically
-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor, non-NMDA-type ionotropic transmembrane receptor for glutamate that
mediates fast synaptic transmission in the central nervous system, usually located postsynaptically. Responsible for strength of
synapse connections

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