Latest

serotonin

·August 2, 2025·6 min read

Fat Molecule May Control How You Feel Emotion

Scientists have uncovered how the brain’s 5-HT1A serotonin receptor—vital in mood regulation—functions at the molecular level. This receptor, a common target of antidepressants and psychedelics, prefers certain signaling pathways no matter the drug, but drugs can still vary in how strongly they activate them.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 19, 2025·6 min read

More Than Serotonin: How Psychedelics Engage the Whole Brain

Classical psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline are known for activating the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor, but a new study reveals their effects go far beyond. Researchers profiled 41 psychedelics against over 300 human receptors and found potent activity at serotonin, dopamine, and adrenergic sites.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 17, 2025·5 min read

Low Sodium Linked to Anxiety Through Brain Chemistry Disruption

Chronic hyponatremia—long viewed as symptomless—is now shown to disrupt brain chemistry and cause anxiety-like behaviors, according to a new study in mice. Researchers found that prolonged low sodium levels reduced serotonin and dopamine in the amygdala, a brain region vital for emotional regulation.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·June 11, 2025·4 min read

How Serotonin Circuits Learn from Motion to Regulate Behavior

Scientists have uncovered how serotonergic neurons in larval zebrafish process visual information tied to movement to determine when and how much serotonin to release. This neuromodulator fine-tunes the fish’s swimming effort, adjusting behavior based on the effectiveness of past actions.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·May 22, 2025·5 min read

DNA Methylation in Serotonin Center Offers New Clues to Autism

A new study has uncovered abnormal DNA methylation patterns in the dorsal raphe—an area of the brain critical for serotonin signaling—in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). By analyzing postmortem brain samples, researchers identified epigenetic changes in key genes linked to sensory perception, serotonin regulation, and synaptic function.

This shows a brain and a person at a cross roads.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 25, 2025·6 min read

Serotonin Neurons Challenge Old Views of Brain Function

Serotonin neurons in the brainstem are not independent, as once thought, but interact to influence decision-making. Researchers found that clusters of serotonin neurons compete and collaborate, shaping when and how serotonin is released throughout the brain.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·April 14, 2025·5 min read

Gut Imbalances in Autism Linked to Brain and Behavior Changes

New research reveals that gut imbalances in children with autism may influence brain activity and behavior by disrupting the production of key neurotransmitters like serotonin. Scientists found that changes in gut-derived metabolites are linked to differences in brain structure and function in children with autism.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 9, 2025·6 min read

Serotonin Helps Your Brain Predict Future Rewards

New research reveals that serotonin plays a key role in how the brain predicts future rewards, shedding light on its puzzling activity in response to both pleasure and pain. Scientists found that serotonin neurons encode a “prospective code for value,” signaling expectations about upcoming outcomes and how rapidly those expectations are changing.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 5, 2025·4 min read

Serotonin Signals the Brain’s Best Guess About Future Rewards

A new study reveals that serotonin neurons in the brain may play a crucial role in helping us estimate the value of future rewards. Rather than simply responding to pleasure or pain, serotonin appears to encode a "prospective value" signal—telling the brain how good the near future is likely to be.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 4, 2025·3 min read

How Psilocybin Lifts Mood Without the Hallucinogenic Trip

Researchers have uncovered two key brain mechanisms—specific neurons and a serotonin receptor—that help explain how psilocybin produces long-lasting antidepressant effects. Their study identified pyramidal tract neurons in the medial frontal cortex and the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor as essential to the therapeutic action of psilocybin.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 31, 2025·7 min read

Intermittent Fasting Boosts Male Libido by Lowering Serotonin

A new study shows that long-term intermittent fasting increases the sex drive of male mice by reducing serotonin levels in the brain. The effect was linked to dietary tryptophan deficiency, which lowers the production of serotonin—a neurotransmitter known to inhibit sexual behavior.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 10, 2025·2 min read

Cerebellar Serotonin Acts as a Brake to Reduce Anxiety

New research reveals that serotonin in the cerebellum plays a crucial role in anxiety regulation. Scientists found that mice with lower cerebellar serotonin levels displayed increased anxiety-like behaviors, while those with higher serotonin levels were less anxious.

1 2 3 … 25

serotonin

Fat Molecule May Control How You Feel Emotion

More Than Serotonin: How Psychedelics Engage the Whole Brain

Low Sodium Linked to Anxiety Through Brain Chemistry Disruption

How Serotonin Circuits Learn from Motion to Regulate Behavior

DNA Methylation in Serotonin Center Offers New Clues to Autism

Serotonin Neurons Challenge Old Views of Brain Function

Gut Imbalances in Autism Linked to Brain and Behavior Changes

Serotonin Helps Your Brain Predict Future Rewards

Serotonin Signals the Brain’s Best Guess About Future Rewards

How Psilocybin Lifts Mood Without the Hallucinogenic Trip

Intermittent Fasting Boosts Male Libido by Lowering Serotonin

Cerebellar Serotonin Acts as a Brake to Reduce Anxiety

Cycling Boosts Brain Function in Parkinson’s Disease

Brain Reward Signals Blunted by Genetic Depression Risk

Fat Molecule May Control How You Feel Emotion

Signs of MS Emerge 15 Years Before Diagnosis

Subscribe