In a recent study in Nature Communications , researchers increased synaptic serotonin through a selective serotonin-releasing agent (SSRA), fenfluramine, to investigate its impact on human behavior. Background Neuroscience research concentrates on the function of central serotonin (5HT) in human behavior, specifically the impact of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Serotonin is necessary for several actions, including eating, sexual function, and goal-directed cognition.
It is difficult to determine the causal relationship between increased synaptic 5-HT and behavior in humans via SSRIs due to SSRIs' complicated effects on 5-HT and colocalized neurotransmitter systems. A low dose of fenfluramine, approved for the treatment of Dravet epilepsy in 2020, directly and swiftly elevates synaptic 5-HT without altering extracellular dopamine concentrations in mood control areas. About the study In the present study, researchers investigated the effects of directly increasing synaptic serotonin (5-HT) with fenfluramine in humans, focusing on unpleasant processing, behavioral inhibition, and memory.
They explored whether fenfluramine would cause behavior to differ from that observed with tryptophan deprivation. The researchers included 53 individuals (mean age was 20 years, and 32 were female), randomized to receive 15 mg of fenfluramine hydrochloride twice daily (intervention group, n=26) or placebo (n=27) orally for eight days. They recruited eligible individuals betwee.