The Role of Serotonin (5-HT) in Behavioral Control: Findings from Animal Research and Clinical Implications

doi:10.1093/ijnp/pyv050

. 2015 May 19;18(10):pyv050.

doi: 10.1093/ijnp/pyv050.

The Role of Serotonin (5-HT) in Behavioral Control: Findings from Animal Research and Clinical Implications

C L Sanchez¹, C S Biskup¹, S Herpertz¹, T J Gaber¹, C M Kuhn¹, S H Hood¹, F D Zepf²

Affiliations

¹ Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Aachen & Jülich, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC (Drs Sanchez and Kuhn); Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Dr Herpertz); School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (Dr Hood), and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences & School of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dr ZEPF), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia; Specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Department of Health in Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia (Dr ZEPF).
² Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Aachen & Jülich, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC (Drs Sanchez and Kuhn); Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Dr Herpertz); School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (Dr Hood), and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences & School of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dr ZEPF), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia; Specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Department of Health in Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia (Dr ZEPF) florian.zepf@uwa.edu.au.

PMID: 25991656
PMCID: PMC4648158
DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyv050

The Role of Serotonin (5-HT) in Behavioral Control: Findings from Animal Research and Clinical Implications

C L Sanchez et al. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2015.

. 2015 May 19;18(10):pyv050.

doi: 10.1093/ijnp/pyv050.

Authors

C L Sanchez¹, C S Biskup¹, S Herpertz¹, T J Gaber¹, C M Kuhn¹, S H Hood¹, F D Zepf²

Affiliations

¹ Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Aachen & Jülich, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC (Drs Sanchez and Kuhn); Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Dr Herpertz); School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (Dr Hood), and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences & School of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dr ZEPF), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia; Specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Department of Health in Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia (Dr ZEPF).
² Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Aachen & Jülich, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC (Drs Sanchez and Kuhn); Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Dr Herpertz); School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (Dr Hood), and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences & School of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dr ZEPF), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia; Specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Department of Health in Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia (Dr ZEPF) florian.zepf@uwa.edu.au.

PMID: 25991656
PMCID: PMC4648158
DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyv050

Abstract

The neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine both have a critical role in the underlying neurobiology of different behaviors. With focus on the interplay between dopamine and serotonin, it has been proposed that dopamine biases behavior towards habitual responding, and with serotonin offsetting this phenomenon and directing the balance toward more flexible, goal-directed responding. The present focus paper stands in close relationship to the publication by Worbe et al. (2015), which deals with the effects of acute tryptophan depletion, a neurodietary physiological method to decrease central nervous serotonin synthesis in humans for a short period of time, on the balance between hypothetical goal-directed and habitual systems. In that research, acute tryptophan depletion challenge administration and a following short-term reduction in central nervous serotonin synthesis were associated with a shift of behavioral performance towards habitual responding, providing further evidence that central nervous serotonin function modulates the balance between goal-directed and stimulus-response habitual systems of behavioral control. In the present focus paper, we discuss the findings by Worbe and colleagues in light of animal experiments as well as clinical implications and discuss potential future avenues for related research.

Keywords: Serotonin; behavior; dopamine; goal-directed behavior; habitual responding.

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References

1. Badawy AA, Dougherty DM, Richard DM. (2010) Specificity of the acute tryptophan and tyrosine plus phenylalanine depletion and loading tests I. Review of biochemical aspects and poor specificity of current amino acid formulations. Int J Tryptophan Res 2010:23–34 - PMC - PubMed
1. Bell CJ, Hood SD, Nutt DJ. (2005) Acute tryptophan depletion. Part II: clinical effects and implications. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 39:565–574. - PubMed
1. Biskup CS, Sánchez CL, Arrant A, Van Swearingen AED, Kuhn C, Zepf FD. (2012) Effects of acute tryptophan depletion on brain serotonin function and concentrations of dopamine and norepinephrine in C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ mice. PLoS One 7:e35916 - PMC - PubMed
1. Cools R, Roberts AC, Robbins TW. (2008) Serotoninergic regulation of emotional and behavioural control processes. Trends Cogn Sci 12:31–40. - PubMed
1. De Wit S, Niry D, Wariyar R, Aitken MRF, Dickinson A. (2007) Stimulus-outcome interactions during instrumental discrimination learning by rats and humans. J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process 33:1–11. - PubMed

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[1] Badawy AA, Dougherty DM, Richard DM. (2010) Specificity of the acute tryptophan and tyrosine plus phenylalanine depletion and loading tests I. Review of biochemical aspects and poor specificity of current amino acid formulations. Int J Tryptophan Res 2010:23–34 - PMC - PubMed

[2] Badawy AA, Dougherty DM, Richard DM. (2010) Specificity of the acute tryptophan and tyrosine plus phenylalanine depletion and loading tests I. Review of biochemical aspects and poor specificity of current amino acid formulations. Int J Tryptophan Res 2010:23–34 - PMC - PubMed

[3] Bell CJ, Hood SD, Nutt DJ. (2005) Acute tryptophan depletion. Part II: clinical effects and implications. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 39:565–574. - PubMed

[4] Bell CJ, Hood SD, Nutt DJ. (2005) Acute tryptophan depletion. Part II: clinical effects and implications. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 39:565–574. - PubMed

[5] Biskup CS, Sánchez CL, Arrant A, Van Swearingen AED, Kuhn C, Zepf FD. (2012) Effects of acute tryptophan depletion on brain serotonin function and concentrations of dopamine and norepinephrine in C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ mice. PLoS One 7:e35916 - PMC - PubMed

[6] Biskup CS, Sánchez CL, Arrant A, Van Swearingen AED, Kuhn C, Zepf FD. (2012) Effects of acute tryptophan depletion on brain serotonin function and concentrations of dopamine and norepinephrine in C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ mice. PLoS One 7:e35916 - PMC - PubMed

[7] Cools R, Roberts AC, Robbins TW. (2008) Serotoninergic regulation of emotional and behavioural control processes. Trends Cogn Sci 12:31–40. - PubMed

[8] Cools R, Roberts AC, Robbins TW. (2008) Serotoninergic regulation of emotional and behavioural control processes. Trends Cogn Sci 12:31–40. - PubMed

[9] De Wit S, Niry D, Wariyar R, Aitken MRF, Dickinson A. (2007) Stimulus-outcome interactions during instrumental discrimination learning by rats and humans. J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process 33:1–11. - PubMed

[10] De Wit S, Niry D, Wariyar R, Aitken MRF, Dickinson A. (2007) Stimulus-outcome interactions during instrumental discrimination learning by rats and humans. J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process 33:1–11. - PubMed

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The Role of Serotonin (5-HT) in Behavioral Control: Findings from Animal Research and Clinical Implications

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The Role of Serotonin (5-HT) in Behavioral Control: Findings from Animal Research and Clinical Implications

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