State-dependent reductions in serotonin delivery to upper airway dilator motoneuron activity may contribute to sleep apnea. The functional significance of serotonin receptor subtypes implicated in excitation of dilator motor neurons was evaluated in anesthetized, paralyzed, mechanically ventilated adult rats (n = 108). The effects of antagonists selective for serotonin receptor subtypes 2A, 2C,...

Abstract Plasticity is a fundamental property of the neural system controlling breathing. One key example respiratory motor plasticity phrenic long-term facilitation (pLTF), persistent increase in nerve activity elicited by acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH). pLTF can arise from distinct cell signaling cascades initiated serotonin versus adenosine receptor activation, respectively; these interact...

Investigation of the effects of serotonin on memory formation in the chick revealed an action on at least two 5-HT receptors. Serotonin injected intracerebrally produced a biphasic effect on memory consolidation with enhancement at low doses and inhibition at higher doses. The non-selective 5-HT receptor antagonist methiothepin and the selective 5-HT2B/C receptor antagonist SB221284 both inhibi...

  Although cisplatin is one of the most effective cancer drugs which is widely used in the treatment of various neoplasms, its side effects, especially vomiting may limit its use. It has been demonstrated that cytotoxic drugs lead to a sudden release of serotonin (5-HT). The following study was performed to determine the possible interactions of cisplatin with 5-HT receptors. In this study, the...

BACKGROUND Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is classified as primarily generalized epilepsy and as such is assumed to lack an anatomic substrate. Although neurochemical abnormalities are probable, few studies have investigated whether they exist in JME. Animal data and the high incidence of myoclonic seizures in serotonin-intoxicated patients suggest that the serotonin system may be disturbed ...

The subfornical organ (SFO) receives significant serotonergic innervation. However, few reports have examined the functional effects of serotonin on SFO neurons. This study characterized the effects of serotonin on spontaneously firing SFO neurons in the rat brain slice. Of 31 neurons tested, 80% responded to serotonin (1-100 μM) with either an increase ( n = 15) or decrease ( n = 10) in sponta...

A correlation between high plasma serotonin levels and total pulmonary resistance was reported in more than 80% of pulmonary hypertensive patients. When submitted to chronic hypoxia (10% O(2) for more than 3 weeks), wild-type mice develop lung vascular remodeling and pulmonary hypertension. We previously reported that, in contrast, the development of these hypoxia-dependent alterations is total...

Serotonin receptors have been found in several reproductive organs as well as in the central nervous system. Serotonin-binding sites have been demonstrated in duck ovarian follicles and the testis, hamster ovaries, human granulosa cells and mouse placenta. Local production of serotonin by the rat ovary, oviduct, uterus and testis has also been reported. We analyzed the expression of three types...

The breast cancer therapies available are insufficient, especially since first-line treatments, such as paclitaxel, result in drug resistance and their toxicity often limits concentration. Strategies like repurposing beneficial, novel treatments can emerge by drugs that interfere with the dopamine serotonin receptors, thus influence tumor growth. In this study, MTT assay was used to test effica...

The neuromodulator serotonin has widespread effects in the nervous systems of many animals, often influencing aggression and dominance status. In crayfish, the effect of serotonin on the neural circuit for tailflip escape behavior was found to depend on the animal's social experience. Serotonin reversibly enhanced the response to sensory stimuli of the lateral giant (LG) tailflip command neuron...