TY - JOUR PY - 2015// TI - The role of serotonin (5-HT) in behavioral control: findings from animal research and clinical implications JO - International journal of neuropsychopharmacology A1 - Cl, Sanchez A1 - Biskup, C. S. A1 - Herpertz, S. A1 - Tj, Gaber A1 - Kuhn, C. M. A1 - Hood, S. H. A1 - Zepf, F. D. SP - pyv050 EP - pyv050 VL - 18 IS - 10 N2 - The neurotransmitters serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) both have a critical role with regards to the underlying neurobiology of different behaviors. With focus on the interplay between DA and 5-HT it has been proposed that DA biases behavior towards habitual responding, and with 5-HT offsetting this phenomenon and directing the balance toward more flexible, goal-directed responding. The present focus paper stands in close relationship to the publication by Worbe et al., which deals with the effects of acute tryptophan depletion (ATD), a neurodietary physiological method to decrease central nervous 5-HT synthesis in humans for a short period of time, on the balance between hypothetical goal-directed and habitual systems. In the mentioned research ATD challenge administration and a following short-term reduction in central nervous 5-HT synthesis were associated with a shift of behavioral performance towards habitual responding, providing further evidence that central nervous 5-HT function modulates the balance between goal-directed and stimulus-response habitual systems of behavioral control. In the present focus paper we discuss the findings by Worbe and colleagues in the light of animal experiments as well as clinical implications, and discuss potential future avenues for related research.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 1461-1457 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyv050 ID - ref1 ER -