Researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) Mumbai have found a novel function for serotonin. The results were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
About:
Chemical name: Serotonin is also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT).
What is it? Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter i.e. it is a chemical that signals between neurons.
Functions: At the level of an organism, serotonin is known to be involved in coping with stress. However, the underlying mechanism of its neuro-protective role was unknown.
Recent discovery: The recent discovery establishes that serotonin is involved in the generation of new mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell) in neurons, increased cellular respiration and fuel (ATP) in the cell.
Medical applications: Serotonin’s newly indentified function has been studied in mice and rats. If found to be true in humans, it may have important medical implications. Serotonin signalling could be used to prevent mitochondrial abnormalities and neuronal loss.
Neuronal loss is a major cause of neurodegenerative diseases such as in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Abnormal mitochondrial functions are known to cause or contribute to neuronal death.
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