Serotonin (5-HT)

Serotonin (5-HT) is implicated in decision-making, such as signaling prediction errors and cue values, as well as to the regulation of behavioral states of wakefulness and arousal, but the relationship between these two domains of function is not well understood. On one hand, serotonin activity is negatively associated with locomotor behavior, which has been seen as behavioral inhibition. On the other hand, serotonin transients are also associated with surprise or uncertainty, as well as novelty responses, including exploration-related facial movements (e.g., whisking, sniffing). Because ther

Serotonin (5-HT) plays a prominent role in a range of psychiatric disorders. Besides acting as a neurotransmitter, 5-HT is a neurotrophic factor during brain development, contributing to neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Although neglected so far, the maternal 5-HTergic genotype may play a role in the offspring’s brain function and behavior, as both the placenta-derived 5-HT during pregnancy and the maternal care during early childhood. To initiate early intervention in NDDs, we aim to (1) understand the atypical development influenced by maternal 5-HTergic genotype, and (2) investigate if

…For instance, monoamines such as serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE), have been reported to modulate the physiological functions of microglia. However, altered concentrations of monoamines have been observed in pathologies of the CNS, such as Alzheimer's disease or major depressive disorder. Remarkably, changes in monoamine levels happen in synchrony with altered microglial functions during CNS diseases. Thus, a reduced immune modulation thro

Brain serotonin (5-HT) is one of the key regulators of aggressive behavior and social defeat stress mechanisms. We had previously found that abolishing central 5-HT biosynthesis increases aggression, as tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (Tph2-/-) knockout rats (TPH2-KO) are more aggressive than wild-type (WT) counterparts. In this elaboration, we compared different types of intruders to expand our understanding of the aggressive phenotype in TPH2-KO rats. The resident-intruder paradigm was applied to evaluate the territorial aggression of rats, where isolated residents (TPH2-KO, WT male, 36 weeks, n=9)

Serotonin (5-HT) is an essential neuromodulator affecting behavioral, affective, and cognitive functions. Recent studies by tryptophan depletion in humans and devaluation paradigm in mice suggest that 5-HT promotes model-based decision making. However, the influence of 5-HT on such decision making remains poorly understood. Recent development of rodent two-step decision making tasks enables us to examine the effect of 5-HT manipulations in situations where rewards do not simply reinforce previous choices but rather interact with task structure to influence policy. Here we took a two-step decis