Tag Archive for 'Serotonin'

Moncrieff et al. suggest that depression is not likely caused by a chemical imbalance, and call into question what antidepressants do. Image credit: Chenspec.

Serotonin Theory of Depression Debunked

Jul 21, 2022 by News Staff

In a systematic umbrella review of previous relevant studies, a team of scientists from the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Italy synthesized and evaluated...

Matcha tea. Image credit: Dung Thuy Vu Nguyen.

Matcha Tea Has Anti-Anxiety Properties, New Study Shows

Jul 16, 2019 by Enrico de Lazaro

In a study done in mice, a team of researchers at Kumamoto University, Japan, demonstrated that Matcha tea powder exerts strong and synergistic anxiolytic...

Model depicting the FLP-7/NPR-22 neuroendocrine axis that underlies the 5-HTergic control of body fat loss. In the nervous system, an integrated 5-HT and octopaminergic circuit stimulates body fat loss. In this study, we report the discovery of a tachykinin signalling system that underlies the 5-HTergic control of body fat loss in C. elegans. The FLP-7 neuroendocrine peptide is secreted from the ASI neurons in response to 5-HT and Oct-mediated signalling. The nutrient sensor AAK-2/AMPK acts in the ASI neurons via the CREB co-regulator CRTC-1 to regulate FLP-7 release in response to 5-HT-encoded signals of food availability. Upon release, FLP-7 acts in the intestine via the NPR-22/NK2R receptor to stimulate the ATGL-1 lipase, which drives fat loss. The identification of FLP-7 and NPR-22 addresses a long-standing question about the molecular basis of the central effects of 5-HT on fat loss in peripheral tissues. Image credit: Lavinia Palamiuc et al, doi: 10.1038/ncomms14237.

Scientists Identify Brain-Signaling Molecule that Triggers Fat Burning

Feb 8, 2017 by News Staff

A research team led by Scripps Research Institute scientist Dr. Supriya Srinivasan has identified a brain hormone that appears to trigger fat burning in...

Escherichia coli, a gram-negative bacterium of the genus Escherichia that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. Image credit: CDC.

Researchers Say Gut Microbiota Affects Our Physiology

Jan 1, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of researchers from Spain and the UK has found that the protein TLR2 (Toll-like receptor 2) — a critical detector of the microbiota...

Study: Happy Cows Make Better Milk

Jul 15, 2016 by News Staff

Daily infusions with serotonin, a naturally-occurring chemical associated with feelings of happiness, were shown to increase calcium levels in both the...

How Gut Bacteria Regulate Happiness in Human

Jun 13, 2012 by News Staff

A team of scientists has shown that brain levels of serotonin, the happy hormone, are regulated by the amount of bacteria in the gut during early life. E....