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Sex differences in the brain's serotonin system
February 14, 2008A new thesis from he Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows that the brain�s serotonin system differs between men and women. The scientists who conducted the study think that they have found one of the reasons why depression and chronic anxiety are more common in women than in men.
Serotonin is a brain neurotransmitter that is critical to the development and treatment of depression and chronic anxiety, conditions that, for reasons still unknown, are much more common in women than in men. A research group at Karolinska Institutet has now shown using a PET scanner that women and men differ in terms of the number of binding sites for serotonin in certain parts of the brain.
Their results, which are to be presented in a doctoral thesis by Hristina Jovanovic at the end of February, show that women have a greater number of the most common serotonin receptors than men. They also show that women have lower levels of the protein that transports serotonin back into the nerve cells that secrete it. It is this protein that the most common antidepressants (SSRIs) block.
�We don�t know exactly what this means, but the results can help us understand why the occurrence of depression differs between the sexes and why men and women sometimes respond differently to treatment with antidepressant drugs,� says associate professor Anna-Lena Nordstr�m, who led the study.
The group has also shown that the serotonin system in healthy women differs from that in women with serious premenstrual mental symptoms. These results suggest that the serotonin system in such women does not respond as flexibly to the hormone swings of the menstrual cycle as that in symptom-free women.
�These findings indicate that when developing antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs, scientists should evaluate their effect on men and women separately, as well as their effects before and after menopause,� says Ms Nordstr�m.
Karolinska Institutet
�We don�t know exactly what this means, but the results can help us understand why the occurrence of depression differs between the sexes and why men and women sometimes respond differently to treatment with antidepressant drugs,� says associate professor Anna-Lena Nordstr�m, who led the study.
The group has also shown that the serotonin system in healthy women differs from that in women with serious premenstrual mental symptoms. These results suggest that the serotonin system in such women does not respond as flexibly to the hormone swings of the menstrual cycle as that in symptom-free women.
�These findings indicate that when developing antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs, scientists should evaluate their effect on men and women separately, as well as their effects before and after menopause,� says Ms Nordstr�m.
Karolinska Institutet
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NOVELL SUSE LINUX 9.2 PROFESSIONAL ITALIAN 32 AND 64 BIT by NOVELL Suse Linux Professional 9.2 Novell Editor Author Suse Linux AG Reference suse92 Volume 2 Support 5 CD-ROM DVD + 2 ISBN 1--6 Italian Language KDE 3.3 GNOME 2.6 BLUETOOTH WLAN 64 BIT VERSION INCLUDED In stock |
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Source Naturals L-Tryptophan, 500 mg, Capsules, 120 capsules by Source Naturals Dietary supplement. Mood, relaxation, sleep. The essential amino acid L-Tryptophan helps support relaxation, restful sleep, and feeling better. It plays a part in the synthesis of both melatonin and serotonin, hormones involved with mood and stress response. L-Tryptophan also supports immune functions because it is the body's precursor to the kynurenines that regulate immunity. If needed, L-Tryptophan converts to niacin in the body, which supports circulation, a healthy nervous system, the metabolism of food, and the production of hydrochloric acid for the digestive system. Source Naturals L-Tryptophan is extremely pure and is regularly tested to ensure the highest standards of quality. (These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not... |
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Serotonin in the Central Nervous System and Periphery by Symposium on Serotonin in the Central Nervous System and Periphery (Author), Akikazu Takada (Author), Gerald Curzon (Author), Akikazu Takada (Editor), Gerald Curzon (Editor) This book contains contributions by world renowned researchers on recent progress on serotonin research. In central nervous system, papers deal with 5-HT receptors, animal models of anxiety, feeding, cognition, migraine, relationship of 5-HT system with Alzheimer disease, development of antipsychotic drugs, and involvement of platelets in depression. In the periphery the roles of 5-HT and effects of antagonists of 5-HT receptors in the circulation are presented. Some main features of the book include: 1) Recent progress on the regulation of 5-HTergic transmission and its implications for the treatment of patients with emotional disorders. 2) New developments on the relationships of 5-HT system with feeding, migraine, cognition, anxiety, and etiology of Alzheimer's disease. 3) Roles... | |
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The serotonergic system is involved in feeding inhibition by pymetrozine. Comparative studies on a locust (Locusta migratoria) and an aphid (Myzus persicae) ... Biochemistry and Physiology, Part C] by L. Kaufmann (Author), F. Schurmann (Author), M. Yiallouros (Author), Harrewij (Author) This digital document is a journal article from Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part C, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Description: Pymetrozine inhibits feeding in aphids immediately after application without producing visible neurotoxic effects, as previously reported. In the present work, Locusta migratoria, though not a plant-sucking insect, was found to respond to pymetrozine by displaying unique symptoms, which were lifting and stretching of the hindlegs, in addition to inhibition of feeding. In locust, pymetrozine enhanced spontaneous spike discharge of the metathoracic and suboesophageal ganglia in situ at... |
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Comparison of the serotonergic nervous system among Tunicata: implications for its evolution within Chordata [An article from: Organisms Diversity & Evolution] by T. Stach (Author) This digital document is a journal article from Organisms Diversity & Evolution, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Description: Using immunohistochemistry in combination with confocal laser scanning microscopy, the serotonergic nervous systems of major tunicate taxa were studied in three-dimensional detail. Organisms analyzed included aplousobranchiate, phlebobranchiate, and stolidobranchiate ascidian larvae, appendicularian juveniles and adults, and doliolid oozooids. Outgroup comparisons to notochordates showed that the serotonergic nervous system of the last common ancestor of Chordata consisted of two elements: (i) an... |
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