Serotonergic
Encyclopedia
Serotonergic or serotoninergic means "related to the neurotransmitter
serotonin
". A synapse
is serotonergic if it uses serotonin as its neurotransmitter. A substance is serotonergic if it produces its effects via interactions with the serotonin
system.
A serotonergic, or serotonergic agent, is any chemical which functions to enhance the effects mediated by serotonin in the central nervous system
, and they include the following classes of chemicals:
Neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitters are endogenous chemicals that transmit signals from a neuron to a target cell across a synapse. Neurotransmitters are packaged into synaptic vesicles clustered beneath the membrane on the presynaptic side of a synapse, and are released into the synaptic cleft, where they bind to...
serotonin
Serotonin
Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...
". A synapse
Synapse
In the nervous system, a synapse is a structure that permits a neuron to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another cell...
is serotonergic if it uses serotonin as its neurotransmitter. A substance is serotonergic if it produces its effects via interactions with the serotonin
Serotonin
Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...
system.
A serotonergic, or serotonergic agent, is any chemical which functions to enhance the effects mediated by serotonin in the central nervous system
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
, and they include the following classes of chemicals:
- Serotonin precursors (such as tryptophanTryptophanTryptophan is one of the 20 standard amino acids, as well as an essential amino acid in the human diet. It is encoded in the standard genetic code as the codon UGG...
and 5-HTP5-Hydroxytryptophan5-Hydroxytryptophan , also known as oxitriptan , is a naturally occurring amino acid and chemical precursor as well as metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin and melatonin from tryptophan....
) - CofactorCofactor (biochemistry)A cofactor is a non-protein chemical compound that is bound to a protein and is required for the protein's biological activity. These proteins are commonly enzymes, and cofactors can be considered "helper molecules" that assist in biochemical transformations....
s required in the body's production of serotonin - Serotonergic enzymeEnzymeEnzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
s - Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitorSelective serotonin reuptake inhibitorSelective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors or serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitor are a class of compounds typically used as antidepressants in the treatment of depression, anxiety disorders, and some personality disorders. The efficacy of SSRIs is disputed...
- A common class of serotonergic antidepressants - Noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressantNoradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressantNoradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressants are a class of psychiatric drugs used primarily as antidepressants. They act by antagonizing various adrenergic and serotonin receptors, of which typically consist of α1-adrenergic and α2-adrenergic, and 5-HT2A, 5-HT2C, and 5-HT3, respectively...
- Another class of serotonergic antidepressants - Serotonergic psychedelicSerotonergic psychedelicSerotonergic psychedelics are a class of hallucinogenic drugs with a method of action strongly tied to the serotonin neurotransmitter...
s - The serotonergic psychedelic drugPsychedelic drugA psychedelic substance is a psychoactive drug whose primary action is to alter cognition and perception. Psychedelics are part of a wider class of psychoactive drugs known as hallucinogens, a class that also includes related substances such as dissociatives and deliriants...
s
See also
- Serotonin agonist
- Serotonin antagonistSerotonin antagonistA serotonin antagonist is a drug used to inhibit the action at serotonin receptors.Many of the most important medications of this class selectively act at the 5-HT3 receptor, and thus are known as 5-HT3 antagonists...
- CholinergicCholinergicThe word choline generally refers to the various quaternary ammonium salts containing the N,N,N-trimethylethanolammonium cation. Found in most animal tissues, choline is a primary component of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and functions with inositol as a basic constituent of lecithin...
- DopaminergicDopaminergicDopaminergic means related to the neurotransmitter dopamine. For example, certain proteins such as the dopamine transporter , vesicular monoamine transporter 2 , and dopamine receptors can be classified as dopaminergic, and neurons which synthesize or contain dopamine and synapses with dopamine...
- NootropicNootropicNootropics , also referred to as smart drugs, brain steroids, memory enhancers, cognitive enhancers, and intelligence enhancers, are drugs, supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional foods that improve mental functions such as cognition, memory, intelligence, motivation, attention, and concentration...