Psychotropic Drugs that Modify the Serotonergic System

The detection of serotonin in nervous and non-nervous tissue was aided by the development of the Falck-Hillarp histochemical technique, a method whereby freeze-dried sections of tissue, when exposed to formaldehyde vapour cause indoleamines to emit a yellow fluorescence. Dahlstrom and Fuxe used this technique to show that the highest concentration of serotonin in the brain is located in the raphe nuclei, projections from these cell bodies ascending to the forebrain via the medial forebrain bundle. Descending fibres were also shown to project to the dorsal and lateral horns and the intermediolateral column of the spinal cord. Detailed observation of the distribution of the serotonergic system in the brain became possible with 

Fundamentals of Psychopharmacology. Third Edition. By Brian E. Leonard 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd. ISBN 0 471 52178 7 

Hippocampus, septum, amygdala, cortical limbic area Agonists buspirone, gepirone, ipsapirone, flesinoxan Antagonists WAY 100135, BMY7378, NAN-190 Possible clinical use of agonists anxiolytics, antidepressants 5-HTi receptors 

Substantia nigra, globus pallidus, dorsal subiculum, superior colliculi Non-selective pinodol, propanolol selective partial agonists CP-93, 129 Possible clinical use of antagonists antidepressants 5-HTj25 receptors 

Caudate nucleus but widely distributed in human dry and GP brain, similar to 5-HTib of rat brain Non-selective rauwolscine, yohimbine selective L-694, 247 

Possible clinical use of antagonists antidepressants 5-HT1E receptor 

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Psychotropic Drugs that Modify the Serotonergic System... 

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