THE SEROTONIN

Bogdan CODARCEA
"Nicolae Bălcescu" Land Forces Academy, Sibiu
codarceabogdan@gmail.com

Abstract: The most common monoamine neurotransmitters and hormones in the central
nervous system, the serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) has some vital roles in the neural
activities and social habits. In case of the insufficiency of serotonin may cause a lot of
psychiatric troubles.
Some scientist considerate serotonin as a chemical courier which is found in the entire
human body. This chemical product contributes to some functional activities like sleep, blood
clotting, sexual function, bone health, mood and bowel movements.
The studies demonstrate about serotonin that is responsable for the most important
functions of the human body, the most known of them is the well-being of the mind, but less
known is the serotonin plays a big role in the circadian rhytm balance, in the appetite and
digestion.
The information extracted in this article are from the internet and the analysis method is
based on the scientists researches.
Keywords: serotonin, psychiatric, chemical, functions

There are a lot of the theories about the role of serotonin in the brain. A frequently idea is
that serotonin cotributes at the cerebral bonds which adjust the stress and the anxiety. Also, this
chemical substance influences people to have more patience and expands the capacity to solve
easily the inevitable problems which the life reserves.
First, the serotonin has the courier role because it ensures the communication between the
neuronal cells and the transmission of nerve impulses to the body. Then, serotonin helps the
release of substancees into the bloodstream to balance certain symptoms, signs that is something
not working properly in the body.
When the level of serotonin is normal, the mood is better, people tend to feel more calm,
more concentrate about tasks, they tend to feel less anxious in the front of the strain situations
and more emotionally stable.
Almost 90% of the body serotonin is produced in the gastrointestinal tract where the
intestinal activity happens. The rest of 5% is produced at the brain level where transmits
semnals among nervous cells in the brain.
As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, the deficit of serotonin may cause in different
psyhycally symptoms like:
 Anxiety
 Depression
 Agresivity
 Impulsive behavior
 Insomnia
 Low self-esteem
 Memory problems
 The deficiency of serotonin can affect the same, men and women, but in different modes.
According to a research from 2007, the low level of serotonin may cause depression and
disposition changes for women, but the results were different for men, because they felt just
more impulsive, without the disposition changes.

According to the role of serotonin in the vital functions of the organism, the deficiency
causes physical symptoms like:
 Weight gain
 Carbohydrate craving
 Fatigue
 Nausea

The scientists do not know the exact causes of serotonin deficiency. Is a fact that some
people produce less serotonin than the others, but a couple of potentially causes sugested by the
last researches include:
 The existency of a smaller number of serotonin receptors in the body
 The absorbtion or the decomposition too fast of the serotonin

The nutrition and and the level of serotonin

The nutrition represents the first source of the body extracts all the needed
substances for a good functioning. The friendship between serotonin and daily nutrition is
based on the level of the serotonin in the body, almost 80-90% of the total quantity is
produced at the gastrointestinal tract and the rest is produced by the pineal gland. If
serotonin produced in the stomach could reach the brain, it would have lethal effects on
neural networks. Specifically, the amino acid tryptophan is used in the production of
serotonin. It is derived by the body from the food we eat, which shows the very important
role of food. There are foods rich in tryptophan, the ammonia acid from which serotonin
is produced: chicken, turkey, nuts, bananas, dairy products (yogurt and a variety of
cheeses), beans. There are also foods that contain serotonin. The richest in this hormone
are nuts, bananas, pineapple, kiwi, plums and tomatoes. It should be noted, however, that
these foods increase serotonin levels in the intestines, but do not affect serotonin in the
brain. When the body eats foods that contain a large amount of sugar, the taste buds,
intestines and brain react. The reward system is activated, which has a similar
functionality to how the body produces addictive substances, such as alcohol or nicotine.
Thus an excess of sugar leads to an increase in the level of dopamine and serotonin and
makes the body want more.
Sugars are actually a class of molecules called carbohydrates (carbohydrates) that
are present in many foods and beverages. The types of sugars are glucose, fructose,
mannose, lactose, sucrose, dextrose and starch, all of which are found on food labels in
various quantities. For example, in the case of fruit juice, fructose has a very high level.
However, sugar is not only in sweets and desserts, it is also added in other foods such as
tomato juice, yogurt, dehydrated fruits, muesli bars.
When the carbohydrates reach the tongue, the sweet taste receptors are activated, a
part of the taste buds on the upper third of the tongue. These receptors send a signal to the
brainstem, and from there it branches into many areas of the brain. Tastes are processed
by different areas of the cerebral cortex. Once in the cerebral cortex, the signal activates
the pleasure system of the brain. This system consists of a series of electrical and
chemical pathways in several different areas of the brain. It's a complicated network, but
it answers one subconscious question: Should I get another bite? The same pleasure
system is activated in the case of socialization, sexual behavior and drugs. However,
over-activation of this system triggers a series of unfortunate events: loss of control,
appetite and increased tolerance to sugar.
Carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy, accounting for 50%. In case of
high blood glucose, signals are sent to the endocrine pancreas to secrete a higher amount
of insulin to balance the glucose level. Sugars are absorbed in both the stomach and
intestines, where other sugar receptors are located. They are not the same as the taste
buds, but they also resemble each other by sending a signal, a message to the brain that
you are full or that the body should produce more insulin to annihilate the excess sugar
consumed.

Other factors that influence serotonin levels

Light acts by stimulating the production of vitamin D, which in turn promotes the
secretion of serotonin. Very important are two characteristics of the light to which we are
exposed: its intensity and duration. A strong intensity of light acting on the eyes has the
effect of stimulating the production of serotonin, but for its beneficial effects it is
necessary to expose ourselves to it during the day and not at night, because a strong light
at night will prevent the transformation of serotonin into melatonin and thus sleep
disorders will occur.
Exercise also stimulates the production and release of serotonin, but it seems that it
would matter if we do the exercises with pleasure and at an acceptable intensity and not
because we are forced to do them. In the latter case, the effect is no longer the same on
serotonin. In other words, if we do sports that we are obliged we will not regulate /
stimulate the secretion of serotonin.
Massage is another way to increase serotonin levels, which is not known exactly
how it works, but it is considered to be a form of physical activity and would work as
such.
The memory of the pleasant events we have experienced has a double effect: it
increases the level of serotonin produced and at the same time prevents us from thinking
about negative things. One of the hallmarks of depression is that people have difficulty
remembering when they were happy and remember only those when they were sad.

Depression and serotonin levels

Absence of serotonin or low levels of it is associated with increased aggression,

irritability, impulsivity, as well as sleep and eating disorders. It is also believed that
below normal serotonin production or damage to nerve cells that are no longer able to
react to serotonin can often lead to depression, mood swings or even psychiatric
disorders. The impact on mood is best known due to the extremely high number of cases
of depression, which one theory says is caused by low serotonin levels. Many
antidepressants are specifically designed to raise serotonin levels. Unfortunately, this
cannot be demonstrated because it is impossible to measure serotonin levels in a living
brain. Low serotonin levels are also associated with an increased risk of developing
addiction. Symptoms of serotonin deficiency are made visible by panic attacks,
headaches, fatigue, high appetite (especially for carbohydrate foods), and sleep
disturbances. In addition, serotonin may interact with progesterone and estrogen,
worsening premenstrual symptoms.

The serotonin syndrom

This syndrom is not a basic problem for the most of the people. It happens to the
people who take meds against depression, because these meds have to increase the level
of serotonin in the body. Although, this chemical substance became popular because of
its benefical effects, an increased level in the human body may cause some problems.
Many scientits consider this syndrom more as a disease. The symptoms of this syndrom
include chills and stomach ache, but this are the easy ones. Into a bad form of the
syndrom, the signs of the disease can transform in muscular rigidity, fever, even seizures.

Experiment: how the serotonin can affect making decisions

In this study, for the first time, researchers monitored subsecond changes in
neurotransmitter levels in the human brain, opening new perspectives on their function.
One study suggests that serotonin has long been linked to happiness and may also be
involved in general knowledge, shaping people's perceptions of the world and acting on
these perceptions. For the first time, researchers continuously monitored two
neuromodulators simultaneously in the human brain. The results provide new
opportunities to test the hypotheses of previous studies, especially in animals.
This study not only measured serotonin, but also serotonin. It is based on a deep
foundation in the neural mechanisms of perceptual decision-making in animals and
humans and links the findings of these studies together. There is a growing recognition
that the role of serotonin is more subtle and subtle than previously thought, and this study
highlights this in human decision making.
This neuromodulator has been extensively studied in animals, but animals need
training to perform decision-making tasks - and training usually works. In conclusion, it
may be difficult for me to get rid of the reinforcement decisions I receive in return.
Animals are limited models of the rich minds and behaviors we encounter in humans.
To study human serotonin signaling, the team recruited five volunteers who will
undergo brain surgery to treat Parkinson's disease or essential tremor and agreed to
monitor their neurochemicals during the procedure. Surgeons keep patients awake during
surgery and use probes to measure brain activity for safety. The team managed to insert
its own microelectrodes into the caudate nucleus of four volunteers and into the well of a
fifth. Both structures are regions of the striatum that are involved in movement, learning,
and reward. When they underwent surgery, each participant completed a modified
version of a common vision task called the random point movement paradigm. During
each round of pregnancy, you see a flickering cloud of dots moving across the screen.
 Some points move together in the same direction, while the rest move randomly;
the proportion of each movement determines the difficulty of the task. In a standard test,
points would disappear and subjects would have to indicate, on average, whether they
moved left or right. In the amended protocol, after the points disappeared, the participants
were shown a random angle and had to decide whether the points moved to the left or to
the right of that angle.
In this way, scientists have been able to change the difficulty and uncertainty that a
person perceives by changing the number of points that move synchronously and how
close he is to his path at a randomly chosen reference angle. After making the choice, the
participants assessed their confidence in their decision.
The team plans to further improve its microelectrodes to recognize other
neurochemicals, such as norepinephrine. Having shown that neuromodulatory responses
can vary by region of the brain, they also hope to expand to include the cortex, amygdala,
and hippocampus.
A better understanding of how serotonin interacts and its role in different parts of
the brain will also have important implications for the treatment of neuropsychiatric
disorders such as Parkinson and depression. Many treatments target these two
modulators, but they do so in the brain and for longer periods of time, so more knowledge
can lead to more targeted and effective treatment
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