Serotonin (5-HT) has been shown to affect the development and patterning of the mouse barrelfield. We show that the dense transient 5-HT innervation of the somatosensory, visual, and auditory cortices originates in the thalamus rather than in the raphe: 5-HT is detected in thalamocortical fibers and most 5-HT cortical labeling disappears after thalamic lesions. Thalamic neurons do not synthesiz...

This study investigated the relationship between platelet (PLT) serotonin (5-HT) and intestinal permeability in children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). Differential sugar absorption and PLT 5-HT were determined in 23 children with PDD. PLT 5-HT (2.0-7.1 nmol/10(9) PLT) was elevated in 4/23 patients. None exhibited elevated intestinal permeability (lactulose/mannitol ratio: 0.008-...

INTRODUCTION This study was designed to assess sex differences in older adults (55-65 years old) in executive functions and to examine the influence of hormone therapy (HT) in postmenopausal women. METHOD We have assessed task performance in memory, visuospatial, and executive functions in 29 women using HT, 29 women who never used HT, and 30 men. RESULTS Men outperformed never users in tas...

Coactivation of purinergic (P 2Y) receptors reduces agonist efficacy at serotonin 1B (5-HT 1B), but not 5-HT 1A receptors. Herein, we report that pretreatment for 5 min with the P 2Y receptor agonist ATP reduced agonist responsiveness at the 5-HT 1A, but not at the 5-HT 1B, receptor. The effect of ATP pretreatment on the 5-HT 1A receptor response rapidly reversed within a 10 min time frame betw...

The neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hdroxytryptamine; 5-HT) has been implicated in the pathophysiology and treatment of major depression since the serendipitous discovery of antidepressant drugs in the 1950s. However, despite the generalised use of serotonin-enhancing drugs, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and the dual serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (...

Large elevations in blood serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) can produce valvular heart disease in humans and laboratory animals. In accordance, one prevailing hypothesis (i.e., the "5-HT hypothesis") suggests that 5-HT transporter substrates like fenfluramine increase the risk for valvular heart disease by elevating plasma 5-HT, secondary to the release of 5-HT from platelets. The main purp...

In the human adrenal cortex, serotonin (5-HT) is contained in mast-like cells, and we have shown that 5-HT stimulates aldosterone secretion, suggesting that 5-HT may control glomerulosa cells through a paracrine mechanism. Concurrently, the presence of 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid in human adrenocortical extracts indicates that 5-HT may be metabolized after local release by mast cells. The aim of ...

Extracts of the medicinal herb feverfew and its active compound, parthenolide, have been determined to have anti-inflammatory, anti-migraine, and anti-cancerous effects, though the biochemical pathways involved have not been fully characterized. Both inhibit human platelet aggregation and serotonin (5-HT) secretion and are hypothesized to inhibit the protein kinase C (PKC) pathway. PKC mediates...

To investigate the development of denervation supersensitivity to serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) in the amygdala (AMYG) and the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN), single cell recordings, microiontophoretic, histochemical and biochemical techniques were used in the present study. 5-HT projections to the vLGN and the AMYG were destroyed by 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT, a relati...

It has been established that 5-HT(1A) receptors are expressed both presynaptically as autoreceptors by 5-HT containing neurones, and postsynaptically by a variety of other neurones. Activation of either somatodendritic 5-HT(1A) autoreceptors or postsynaptic 5-HT(1A) receptors induces hyperpolarisation and inhibition of action potential discharge of the neurones, but it is unclear whether 5-HT(1...