22 Facts About Serotonin

Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter.

Serotonin is primarily found in the enteric nervous system located in the gastrointestinal tract.

Serotonin secreted from the enterochromaffin cells eventually finds its way out of tissues into the blood.

Serotonin is metabolized mainly to 5-HIAA, chiefly by the liver.

Serotonin's presence in insect venoms and plant spines serves to cause pain, which is a side-effect of serotonin injection.

Serotonin is produced by pathogenic amoebae, and its effect in the human gut is diarrhea.

Serotonin is released into the synapse, or space between neurons, and diffuses over a relatively wide gap to activate 5-HT receptors located on the dendrites, cell bodies, and presynaptic terminals of adjacent neurons.

Serotonin has been implicated in cognition, mood, anxiety and psychosis, but strong clarity has not been achieved.

Serotonin can be synthesized, albeit at very low levels, in the bone cells.

Serotonin is produced by Merkel cells which are part of the somatosensory system.

Serotonin can bind to auto-receptors on the presynaptic neuron to regulate the synthesis and release of serotonin.

Serotonin is used by a variety of single-cell organisms for various purposes.

Serotonin is one compound of the poison contained in stinging nettles, where it causes pain on injection in the same manner as its presence in insect venoms (see below).

Serotonin is a common component of invertebrate venoms, salivary glands, nervous tissues, and various other tissues, across molluscs, insects, crustaceans, scorpions, various kinds of worms, and jellyfish.

Serotonin is evolutionarily conserved and appears across the animal kingdom.

Serotonin, referred to as 5-hydroxytryptamine, is a neurotransmitter most known for its involvement in mood disorders in humans.

Serotonin is important in environmental response pathways, along with other neurotransmitters.

Serotonin is found in the IC structure of the midbrain, which processes specie specific and non-specific social interactions and vocalizations.

Serotonin is necessary for normal nematode male mating behavior, and the inclination to leave food to search for a mate.

Serotonin has been identified as the trigger for swarm behavior in locusts.

Serotonin can be synthesized from tryptophan in the lab using Aspergillus niger and Psilocybe coprophila as catalysts.

Serotonin taken orally does not pass into the serotonergic pathways of the central nervous system, because it does not cross the blood–brain barrier.