Serotoninergic Neurons and 5-HT Receptors in the CNS

This volume provides an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the anatomy, physiology, and basic and applied pharmacology of CNS serotonin neurons and serotonin receptor subtypes required for understanding the role(s) of serotonin in brain function and in behavior. The book comprises 28 chapters on various aspects of CNS serotonin neurons, such as their development, plasticity and transduction mechanisms, their structural and functional components involved in synaptic transmission, their physiological properties, their role in behavior, their putative involvement in neuropsychiatric diseases, and their role as targets of drugs used in the treatment of CNS disorders.

In 1966, Vittorio Erspamer, the editor of the first monograph within the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology series that dealt with 5-hydroxy tryptamine (Vol. XIX) wrote in the Preface: "In a decade of intense and dedicated work, an immense amount of experimental data has been collected, the significance of which . . . has spread into all fields of biology and medi cine . . . ". Three decades later, a dramatic further increase in our knowledge of all neuroscientific aspects of the serotoninergic system in the CNS has been achieved, and we are witnessing persisting interest in the biology of serotonin of scientists working in various basic biomedical and clinical disciplines. The scientific advance was made possible by significant improvements in analytical and morphological technologies of high sensitivity and cellular/subcellular resolution (e. g. , patch clamp techniques, in vivo microdialysis, electrophysi ological recording techniques, quantitative ligand autoradiography, immuno histochemistry, cytochemistry, catalytic enzyme histochemistry, and PET / SPECT techniques) and in molecular biology (e. g. , in situ hybridization, PCR cloning, DNA transfection studies, and targeted gene disruption). Particular progress has been made in the anatomy, physiology, and pharmacoogy of ' serotoninergic neurons and their modulatory role in brain functions, in s ~roto nin receptors and their transduction mechanisms, and in the potential role of serotonin in neuropsychiatric diseases, such as eating disorders, antisocial personality disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, seasonal affective disor der, and major depression.

The present volume summarizes data obtained by the application of modern molecular and cell biological, morphological and immunohistochemical, autoradiographic, electrophysiological and pharmacological techniques

Inhalt
1 Development and Adult Plasticity of Serotoninergic Neurons and Their Target Cells.- 2 Anatomy of Central Serotoninergic Projection Systems.- 3 Physiology and Pharmacology of Brain Serotoninergic Neurons.- 4 Tryptophan Hydroxylase: Molecular Biology and Regulation.- 5 Molecular Analysis of Serotonin Packaging into Secretory Vesicles.- 6 Regulation of the Environment of the Interior of Serotonin-Storing Vesicles.- 7 Molecular Biology and Transductional Characteristics of 5-HT Receptors.- 8 5-Hydroxytryptamine Receptor Histochemistry: Comparison of Receptor mRNA Distribution and Radioligand Autoradiography in the Brain.- 9 The Main Features of Central 5-HT1A Receptor.- 10 Functional Neuropharmacology of Compounds Acting at 5-HT1B/D Receptors.- 11 5-HT-Moduline, an Endogenous Peptide Modulating Serotoninergic Activity via a Direct Interaction at 5-HT1B/1D Receptors.- 12 Regulation of 5-HT Release in the CNS by Presynaptic 5-HT Autoreceptors and by 5-HT Heteroreceptors.- 13 Behavioral Consequences of 5-HT1BReceptor Gene Deletion.- 14 Pharmacology of 5-HT2Receptors.- 15 Regulation of 5-HT2AReceptor at the Molecular Level.- 16 Neuropharmacology of 5-HT3Receptor Ligands.- 17 5-HT4Receptors: An Update.- 18 Molecular Biology and Potential Functional Role of 5-HT5, 5-HT6, and 5-HT7 Receptors.- 19 Electrophysiology of 5-HT Receptors.- 20 5-HT Receptors Involved in the Regulation of Hormone Secretion.- 21 Role of Serotoninergic Neurons and 5-HT Receptors in the Action of Hallucinogens.- 22 The Interaction of the Serotoninergic and Other Neuroregulatory Systems in Alcohol Dependence.- 23 Neuronal Pathophysiology of Migraine as a Basis for Acute Treatment with 5-HT Receptor Ligands.- 24 Modulation of Nociception by Descending Serotoninergic Projections.- 25 Molecular Biology of Monoamine Oxidase A and B: Their Role in the Degradation of Serotonin.- 26 Molecular Biology, Pharmacology, and Genetics of the Serotonin Transporter: Psychobiological and Clinical Implications.- 27 Animal Models of Integrated Serotoninergic Functions: Their Predictive Value for the Clinical Applicability of Drugs Interfering with Serotoninergic Transmission.- 28 Current Psychiatric Uses of Drugs Acting on the Serotonin System.