N Engl J Med 2005;352:1112-20. Copyright © 2005 Massachusetts Medical Society. he serotonin syndrome is a potentially life-threatening adverse drug reaction that results from therapeutic drug use, intentional self-poisoning, or inadvertent interactions between drugs. Three features of the serotonin syndrome are critical to an understanding of the disorder. First, the serotonin syndrome is not a...

Traumatic stressors induce long-lasting changes in behavior. It is believed that all three glutamatergic, serotonergic and noradrenergic neurotransmission play a role in the development of such behavioral changes, but their relative importance and relationship is poorly understood. We have shown previously that a single exposure of rats to electric shocks induces social avoidance for about 10 d...

External magnetic fields (MFs) have the ability to modify motor activity of animals, complex type of behaviour connected with dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmissions in the brain. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine MF-induced changes in the activity of serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptors in the prefrontal cortex, as well as dopamine D(1) and D(2) receptors in the striatum of adult...

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is reported to be a target of antidepressants, drugs of abuse and animal models of depression, suggesting a role for this form of structural plasticity in psychopathology. Serotonergic neurotransmission, which is implicated in several psychiatric diseases, has been reported to regulate adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Amongst the serotonergic receptors, the seroton...

Small-cell lung carcinoma cells express different plasma membrane nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes. We have now found that interacting with these receptors (-)-nicotine induces a dose-dependent and stereoselective release of [3H]serotonin which is dependent on external calcium and blocked by the specific ganglionic nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine. With the same potency (-)-nicotine s...

Small-cell lung carcinoma cells express different plasma membrane im .n um acetylcholine receptor subtypes. We have now found that inter acting with these receptors (-)-nicotine induces a dose-dependent and stereoselective release of [3H]serotonin which is dependent on external calcium and blocked by the specific ganglionic nicotinic antagonist nice amylamine. With the same potency (-(-nicotine...