Serotonin Affects How People Learn From and React to Negativity
According to a new study in Nature Communications, increasing serotonin can alter how people learn from negative information and enhance their response to it.
Researchers from the University of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry and the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Health Biomedical Research Center (OH BRC) discovered that increasing serotonin levels reduced sensitivity to negative outcomes, such as losing money in a game, without significantly affecting sensitivity to positive outcomes like winning money.
Serotonin-Boosting Drug Tested on 26 Participants Against a Control Group of 27
The study involved 26 participants who received a serotonin-boosting drug, while 27 others formed a control group. Both groups performed tasks designed to measure learning and behavioral control, with state-of-the-art models analyzing their behavior.
The results showed that higher serotonin levels enhanced participants’ ability to control their behavior, especially in response to negative information, and also improved different types of memory. Michael Colwell, the study’s lead author, stated, “These findings shed new light on how serotonin shapes human behavior, particularly in negative environments. We believe it may offer important insights into the cause and treatment of depression.”
Rather than using traditional antidepressants like SSRIs, the researchers employed a novel selective serotonin-releasing agent, currently used to treat Dravet Syndrome, to directly increase serotonin levels in the brain.
Clarifying Serotonin’s Role in Human Behavior After Decades of Uncertainty
Professor Catherine Harmer, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford and OH BRC Theme Lead for Depression Therapeutics, noted that despite nearly a century of research, our understanding of how serotonin affects human behavior has remained unclear and often debated.
“This study offers exciting new insights into serotonin’s role in humans. It reveals that serotonin, which has been linked to depression and the effects of antidepressants, plays a greater role in processing negative experiences rather than simply enhancing positive responses. Serotonin is often called the ‘happy chemical,’ but perhaps it’s more accurate to think of it as the ‘not-so-bad chemical,'” she said.
Professor Susannah Murphy, Associate Professor at the University of Oxford, added, “By directly manipulating serotonin levels in the brain, this study sheds light on some of the core functions this crucial brain chemical plays in humans. Our findings highlight the essential role serotonin plays in complex cognitive processes, such as our ability to control unwanted behaviors. This research deepens our understanding of why drugs that alter serotonin levels are effective treatments for various mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.”
Read the original article on: Science Alert
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