Psychology & Psychiatry

Serotonin speeds learning

An international team from the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown (CCU), in Portugal, and the University College London (UCL) in the U.K. has uncovered a previously unknown effect of serotonin on learning. Their results ...

Neuroscience

Serotonin and confidence underlie patience in new study

People usually have the ability to put aside the desire for immediate gratification in anticipation of something good. But this isn't just a human trait—a new study shows that mice can be patient, too, revealing a link ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Mutation links bipolar disorder to mitochondrial disease

Mutations in the gene ANT1 may confer a risk for bipolar disorder through a complex interplay between serotonin and mitochondrial signaling in the brain. These two pathways have been separately implicated in bipolar disorder, ...

Neuroscience

Scientists grow human serotonin neurons in petri dish

Serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in regulating mood and mental states, has been linked to numerous neurological and mental illnesses, including depression. But because there has been no way to obtain live human serotonin ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

When neurons are out of shape, antidepressants may not work

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed medication for major depressive disorder (MDD), yet scientists still do not understand why the treatment does not work in nearly thirty percent ...

Neuroscience

How do antidepressants trigger fear and anxiety?

More than 100 million people worldwide take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac and Zoloft, to treat depression, anxiety and related conditions, but these drugs have a common and mysterious side ...

Neuroscience

Neuroscience: Why scratching makes you itch more

Turns out your mom was right: Scratching an itch only makes it worse. New research from scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that scratching causes the brain to release serotonin, ...

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