Abstract
In the past decade, experimental studies involving healthy human volunteers have revealed that manipulations of the central serotonin (5-HT) system can produce quite specific changes in cognitive functioning, independent of overt mood changes. Reduced 5-HT turnover is consistently associated with impaired long-term memory functioning. Low 5- HT function may also impair cognitive flexibility and improve focused attention. On the other hand, stimulation of central 5-HT has repeatedly been found to impair performance in a true vigilance task. Currently, there is little evidence for mirrored cognitive changes due to opposite 5-HT manipulations in healthy volunteers. Given the mounting evidence for a role of 5-HT in human cognition, reduced 5-HT function could be directly linked to cognitive disturbances in certain conditions, such as in depression and Alzheimers Disease (AD). There is evidence that stimulating (i.e. normalizing) 5- HT activity in depression may have specific beneficial effects on cognition, independent of a general relief of depressive symptoms, but this premise needs to be confirmed by larger-scale clinical studies. Recently, a potential role of 5-HT in the cognitive symptoms in AD has been identified, but there is insufficient data to evaluate the effects of 5-HT stimulation on cognitive symptoms in AD. It is concluded that serotonin is a potential target for pharmacological cognition enhancement, particularly for restoration of impaired cognitive performance due to 5-HT dysfunction. Further differentiation of the role of 5-HT in normal and disturbed cognition and evaluation of the effects of 5-HT manipulations in various populations is required to establish the full potential of 5-HT drugs as cognition enhancers.
Keywords: Serotonin, memory, cognition, depression, Alzheimer's Disease, cognition enhancement
Current Pharmaceutical Design
Title: Serotonin and Human Cognitive Performance
Volume: 12 Issue: 20
Author(s): J. A.J. Schmitt, M. Wingen, J. G. Ramaekers, E. A.T. Evers and W. J. Riedel
Affiliation:
Keywords: Serotonin, memory, cognition, depression, Alzheimer's Disease, cognition enhancement
Abstract: In the past decade, experimental studies involving healthy human volunteers have revealed that manipulations of the central serotonin (5-HT) system can produce quite specific changes in cognitive functioning, independent of overt mood changes. Reduced 5-HT turnover is consistently associated with impaired long-term memory functioning. Low 5- HT function may also impair cognitive flexibility and improve focused attention. On the other hand, stimulation of central 5-HT has repeatedly been found to impair performance in a true vigilance task. Currently, there is little evidence for mirrored cognitive changes due to opposite 5-HT manipulations in healthy volunteers. Given the mounting evidence for a role of 5-HT in human cognition, reduced 5-HT function could be directly linked to cognitive disturbances in certain conditions, such as in depression and Alzheimers Disease (AD). There is evidence that stimulating (i.e. normalizing) 5- HT activity in depression may have specific beneficial effects on cognition, independent of a general relief of depressive symptoms, but this premise needs to be confirmed by larger-scale clinical studies. Recently, a potential role of 5-HT in the cognitive symptoms in AD has been identified, but there is insufficient data to evaluate the effects of 5-HT stimulation on cognitive symptoms in AD. It is concluded that serotonin is a potential target for pharmacological cognition enhancement, particularly for restoration of impaired cognitive performance due to 5-HT dysfunction. Further differentiation of the role of 5-HT in normal and disturbed cognition and evaluation of the effects of 5-HT manipulations in various populations is required to establish the full potential of 5-HT drugs as cognition enhancers.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Schmitt A.J. J., Wingen M., Ramaekers G. J., Evers A.T. E. and Riedel J. W., Serotonin and Human Cognitive Performance, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2006; 12 (20) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138161206777698909
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138161206777698909 |
Print ISSN 1381-6128 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4286 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
"Tuberculosis Prevention, Diagnosis and Drug Discovery"
The Nobel Prize-winning discoveries of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and streptomycin have enabled an appropriate diagnosis and an effective treatment of tuberculosis (TB). Since then, many newer diagnosis methods and drugs have been saving millions of lives. Despite advances in the past, TB is still a leading cause of infectious disease mortality ...read more
Current Pharmaceutical challenges in the treatment and diagnosis of neurological dysfunctions
Neurological dysfunctions (MND, ALS, MS, PD, AD, HD, ALS, Autism, OCD etc..) present significant challenges in both diagnosis and treatment, often necessitating innovative approaches and therapeutic interventions. This thematic issue aims to explore the current pharmaceutical landscape surrounding neurological disorders, shedding light on the challenges faced by researchers, clinicians, and ...read more
Emerging and re-emerging diseases
Faced with a possible endemic situation of COVID-19, the world has experienced two important phenomena, the emergence of new infectious diseases and/or the resurgence of previously eradicated infectious diseases. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of such diseases has also undergone changes. This context, in turn, may have a strong relationship with ...read more
Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment: Standard of Care and Recent Advances
In this thematic issue, we aim to provide a standard of care of the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. The editor will invite authors from different countries who will write review articles of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. The Diagnosis, Staging, Surgical Treatment, Non-Surgical Treatment all ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
An Efficient Ionic Liquid Mediated Synthesis, Cholinesterase Inhibitory Activity and Molecular Modeling Study of Novel Piperidone Embedded α ,β-Unsaturated Ketones
Medicinal Chemistry Editorial [Hot Topic: Cognition Therapeutics (Guest Editor: Miao-Kun Sun)]
Current Drug Targets - CNS & Neurological Disorders Memantine: Its Role in Vascular Dementia
Drug Design Reviews - Online (Discontinued) Amine Oxidase Inhibitors and Development of Neuroprotective Drugs
Current Neuropharmacology Vascular C-Reactive Protein in the Pathogenesis of Coronary Artery Disease:Role of Vascular Inflammation and Oxidative Stress
Cardiovascular & Hematological Disorders-Drug Targets Insulin-Degrading Enzyme: A Link Between Alzheimer’s and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Chemistry and Pharmacological Properties of Some Natural and Synthetic Antioxidants for Heavy Metal Toxicity
Current Medicinal Chemistry Exploration of Various Proteins for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease
Current Drug Metabolism The Use of Microarrays to Characterize Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Postmortem Studies of Substance Abuse and Schizophrenia
Current Molecular Medicine Recent Developments in the Understanding and Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders Involving Protein Conformational Misfolding and Amyloid Formation
Medicinal Chemistry Reviews - Online (Discontinued) AMPA Receptor Antagonists: Potential Therapeutic Applications
Recent Patents on CNS Drug Discovery (Discontinued) Statin Treatment and the Natural History of Atherosclerotic-Related Diseases: Pathogenic Mechanisms and the Risk-Benefit Profile
Current Pharmaceutical Design Bioactivity of Chitosan and Its Derivatives
Current Organic Chemistry Current Concepts on Selected Plant Secondary Metabolites With Promising Inhibitory Effects Against Enzymes Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease
Current Medicinal Chemistry Vitamin D and Cardiovascular Disease: A Novel Agent for Reducing Cardiovascular Risk?
Current Vascular Pharmacology Synthesis of Some New 1(2H)-Phthalazinone Derivatives and Evaluation of Their Acetylcholinesterase and Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibitory Activities
Letters in Drug Design & Discovery Lysosomal Storage Diseases and the Blood-Brain Barrier
Current Pharmaceutical Design Estrogenic Compounds, Estrogen Receptors and Vascular Cell Signaling in the Aging Blood Vessels
Current Medicinal Chemistry The Association of Microglial Activation and Amyloid Reduction in APP+PS1 Transgenic Mice
Current Medicinal Chemistry - Immunology, Endocrine & Metabolic Agents Conference Report: 7th Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA, USA Nov 20-22, 2014
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets