Definition
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter substance present in the central and peripheral nervous systems. It is widely distributed along the gastrointestinal tract, the brain, and the spinal cord. In the brain, serotonergic cell bodies are located in the raphe nuclei and reticular regions of the brain stem. From these areas, cell bodies send projections to the spinal cord, cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, cerebellum, superior and inferior colliculi, hypothalamus, and areas of the limbic system including the hippocampus, amygdala, septum, and olfactory bulbs. Serotonergic neurons also send projections to the substantia nigra, a structure containing dopamine neurons (Feldman et al. 1997; Iversen et al. 2009).
Serotonin is synthesized from the amino acid precursor, tryptophan, in a series of chemical reactions involving the catalytic enzymes, tryptophan hydroxylase, and aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase. Inactivation of serotonin from the synaptic cleft is primarily achieved through a...
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Sanzone, M., Gonzalez, E.A. (2018). Serotonin Syndrome. In: Kreutzer, J., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_1778-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_1778-2
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