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serotonin

·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.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 8, 2025·6 min read

Dopamine and Serotonin Drive Emotional Word Processing

Researchers have uncovered how neurotransmitters in the brain respond to the emotional content of language, shedding light on the intersection of emotion, cognition, and communication. Using advanced techniques, the team simultaneously measured dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine release in patients during exposure to emotionally charged words.

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Featured Neuroscience

·December 20, 2024·5 min read

Serotonin, GABA, and Dopamine Drive Hunger and Feeding

A new study has revealed how brain circuits and neurotransmitters regulate meal initiation, offering insights into obesity management. Researchers identified serotonin neurons in the midbrain's dorsal Raphe nucleus (DRN) as key players, inhibited by GABA and dopamine when hunger strikes.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 12, 2024·8 min read

Gut Serotonin Plays Role in Depression and Mood

Serotonin in the gut epithelium plays a critical role in modulating mood and may provide a safer target for treating depression and anxiety. In animal studies, increasing gut serotonin improved mood symptoms without causing digestive issues, unlike systemic antidepressant treatments.

This shows a woman and psychedelic swirls.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 3, 2024·4 min read

Psychedelics Reduce Anxiety Without Hallucinations

New research has pinpointed the specific brain region and neuron type responsible for reducing anxiety using the psychedelic drug DOI, without triggering hallucinations. The study revealed that DOI targets serotonin2A receptors on parvalbumin-positive neurons in the ventral hippocampus, decreasing anxiety behaviors in animal models.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 28, 2024·5 min read

Serotonin Levels Rise With Reward Anticipation

Serotonin, known as the "happiness molecule," increases in anticipation of a reward and scales with the value of that reward. Using a biosensor called GRAB-serotonin, researchers measured serotonin in real time in mice as they received treats.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 23, 2024·4 min read

Gut Microbiome Disruption Linked to Aggression

Disruptions in the gut microbiome, especially due to early-life antibiotic use, lead to increased aggression in mice. Researchers transplanted microbiomes from infants exposed to antibiotics into mice and found a clear connection between altered gut bacteria and aggressive behavior.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 21, 2024·5 min read

Serotonin Receptor Dampens Visual Input to Enhance Internal Processes

The 5-HT2A receptor in the brain reduces incoming visual information, allowing more space for internal thought processes. Researchers found that this receptor, when overactivated, suppresses sensory input, potentially explaining the effects of hallucinations from drugs like LSD.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 7, 2024·4 min read

Role of Serotonin Release in Depression Uncovered

Researchers developed a highly selective fluorescent probe to image serotonin in cells and animal models, shedding light on its role in depression. The study revealed that while serotonin levels in normal and “depressed” cells are similar, depressive cells release significantly less serotonin.