Serotonin and depression: 9 questions and answers

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Serotonin plays an important role in regulating memory, sleep, digestion, mood,... You have a high risk of depression, anxiety disorders, autonomic nervous disorders if your body is deficient. serotonin deficiency. We will learn more about this neurotransmitter through the article below.

1. What is Serotonin?

Serotonin acts as a neurotransmitter, a chemical that helps relay signals from one brain area to another. Although serotonin is produced in the brain, where it performs its main functions, up to 90% of our body's supply of serotonin is found in the digestive tract and in blood platelets.

2. How is Serotonin Made?

Serotonin is created through a unique biochemical conversion. Tryptophan will be converted to serotonin in the brain, thereby creating other essential amino acids. Cells make serotonin by using tryptophan hydroxylase to form a chemical reaction that, when combined with tryptophan, forms 5-hydroxytryptamine, also known as serotonin.

3. What role does Serotonin play in health?

As a neurotransmitter, serotonin helps relay messages from one brain region to another. Due to its wide distribution of cells, it is thought to influence a wide range of other psychological and bodily functions. Of the approximately 40 million brain cells, most are directly or indirectly affected by serotonin. This includes brain cells involved in mood, libido and function, appetite, sleep, memory as well as learning, temperature regulation and some social behaviours.
The neurotransmitter serotonin can also affect the functioning of the cardiovascular system, muscles and various factors in the endocrine system. Researchers have also found evidence that serotonin plays a role in regulating milk production and that defects in the serotonin network may be one of the underlying causes of SIDS. infant mortality).

4. What is the link between serotonin and depression?

There are many researchers who believe that an imbalance in serotonin levels can affect mood in a way that leads to depression. Possible problems include low levels of serotonin-producing brain cells, a lack of receptor sites that can receive the serotonin produced, or an inability for serotonin to reach the receptor sites, or lack of it. tryptophan, the chemical that makes up serotonin. If any biochemical problems occur, researchers believe this can lead to depression, as well as obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, panic attacks, and even extreme anger.
Depression affects the development of brain cell regeneration centers - in this process, some experts believe that serotonin acts as a mediator, and this goes on throughout our lives. . According to neuroscientist Dr Barry Jacobs of Princeton, depression can occur when there is an inhibition of new brain cells, and stress is the single most important factor that puts you at high risk for depression. He believes that popular antidepressants known as SSRIs, which have been studied to increase serotonin levels, help kickstart the production of new brain cells, which in turn help reduce the effects of depression. cause.
Although experts believe that serotonin deficiency is one of the causes of depression, there is no way to measure the levels of this neurotransmitter in the brain. As a result, there haven't been any studies to prove that levels of this chemical or any other neurotransmitter in the brain are deficient during depression or a mental illness - although a few Research has shown that some neurotransmitters are low in people with depression - but they can't say whether blood levels reflect brain serotonin levels.

Also, researchers don't know if the reduction in serotonin causes the depression or if the depression itself reduces serotonin levels.
Antidepressants that work on serotonin levels - SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) - are thought to reduce symptoms of depression sensors, but it is not yet fully defined how they work.

5. Can diet affect serotonin supply in the body?

This can happen, but it's a rather complicated process. It's not like calcium-rich foods, which can directly increase blood levels of this mineral, because no foods can directly increase serotonin levels in the body. But indirectly, there are foods and certain nutrients that can increase levels of tryptophan, the amino acid that makes serotonin.
High protein foods, such as meat or chicken, contain high levels of tryptophans. Tryptophan occurs in dairy foods, nuts, and some meats. Ironically, however, levels of both tryptophan and serotonin decrease after you consume protein-rich foods. So what is the reason? According to nutritionist Elizabeth Somer, when you eat a protein-rich meal, you make both tryptophan and other amino acids fight to compete with each other, all trying to get into the brain. That means only a small amount of tryptophan can pass through - and serotonin levels don't increase significantly.
Instead, you should choose foods rich in carbohydrates, and the body will trigger the release of insulin. Experts think this causes any amino acid in the blood to be absorbed into the body - but not the brain, with the exception of tryptophan. According to experts, tryptophan will remain in the blood at high levels after you consume carbohydrate-rich foods, which means that tryptophan can freely enter the brain and cause serotonin levels to rise. In addition, to increase serotonin levels in the body, you should choose sources of vitamin B6 because it affects the rate at which tryptophan is converted to serotonin.

6. Can exercise increase serotonin levels?

Your mood can greatly improve when you exercise and in general, studies have shown that regular exercise can treat depression as effectively as other methods, including medication antidepressant or psychotherapy. In the past, many people believed that exercising for a few weeks would be effective in treating depression, but a new study conducted at the University of Texas at Austin shows that all it takes is exercise. in a 40-minute period can have an immediate effect on your mood.
Many experts believe that exercise affects serotonin levels in the body, however, the exact mechanism or solid evidence that this happens has not been identified so far.

7. Men and women have the same amount of serotonin, but does it work the same way in their brains and bodies?

Studies show that men have slightly more serotonin than women, but this difference is thought to be insignificant. However, a study published in September 2007 in the journal Biological Psychiatry found that there is a huge difference in how the body responds to a decrease in serotonin between men and women. This may be one of the reasons why women suffer from depression more than men.
Researchers found that men can become impulsive but not susceptible to depression when the body is depleted of tryptophan, which reduces serotonin levels in the brain. On the other hand, women felt a marked drop in mood and became more cautious - an emotional response often associated with depression. While the serotonin processing system appears to be the same in both sexes, researchers now believe that men and women may use serotonin differently.

Although studies are still limited, however, researchers say identifying these differences could be the first step towards understanding why so many women suffer from mood disorders and anxiety than men, while more men have alcoholism, ADHD, and impulse control disorders.
There is also some evidence that female hormones may also interact with serotonin to cause some symptoms or be aggravated during perimenopause, the postpartum period or around menopause. terrible. This is not a coincidence, because these are all periods of erratic sex hormone changes. On the other hand, men usually have stable levels of sex hormones until middle age when the decline is gradual.

8. Both dementia and Alzheimer's are diseases of the brain, so does serotonin play a role?

In the same way that we lose bone mass as we age, some researchers believe that neurotransmitter activity also slows down as part of the aging process.
In an international study published in 2006, doctors from several research centers around the world documented a lack of serotonin in the brains of deceased Alzheimer's patients. They hypothesized that the deficiency was caused by a decrease in the receptor sites - cells that are capable of receiving serotonin transmission - and that this may cause at least some of the memory-related symptoms of the patients. Alzheimer's. There is no evidence that increasing serotonin levels prevents Alzheimer's disease or delays the onset or progression of dementia. However, as research in this area continues, this may well change.

9. What is serotonin syndrome and is it dangerous?

SSRI antidepressants are generally considered a safe drug. However, a rare side effect of SSRIs called serotonin syndrome can occur when levels of this neurochemical in the brain get too high. It occurs most often when two or more medications that affect serotonin levels are used concurrently. For example, if you're taking a migraine medication called triptans, along with an SSRI to treat depression, your body may have an overload of serotonin. The same thing can happen when you take an SSRI supplement, such as St. John's wort.
Problems are more likely to happen when you first start taking or increase the dose, or if you combine an older antidepressant (called an MAOI) with an SSRI.
Stimulant drugs such as ecstasy or LSD are also associated with serotonin syndrome.
Symptoms can occur within minutes to hours and often include restlessness, hallucinations, heart palpitations, increased body temperature and sweating, loss of coordination, convulsions. muscle spasms, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and rapid changes in blood pressure.
Although uncommon, serotonin syndrome can be dangerous and is considered a medical emergency. We can treat this syndrome by stopping drugs, intravenous fluids, muscle relaxants to block serotonin production.

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Reference source: webmd.com