Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An organic compound, C10H12N2O, formed from tryptophan and found in animal and human tissue, especially the brain, blood serum, and gastric mucous membranes, and active as a neurotransmitter and in vasoconstriction, stimulation of the smooth muscles, and regulation of cyclic body processes.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun biochemistry An indoleamine neurotransmitter, 5-hydroxytryptamine, that is involved in depression, appetite, etc., and is crucial in maintaining a sense of well-being, security, etc.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a neurotransmitter involved in e.g. sleep and depression and memory

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[sero– + ton(e) + –in.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From sero- + tonic + -in.

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Examples

  • Anxiety and depression occur when too much serotonin is reuptaken and spends its time hiding in the nerve cells.

    Blogging About Anti-Anxiety Meds Candid Engineer 2008

  • These experiments, which might have been the last performed by the hands of Jessell, led to the isolation of genes encoding the seven transmembrane domain serotonin receptor,

    Richard Axel - Autobiography 2005

  • If serotonin from the pineal does get back into the brain proper, it a must do so through such a circuitous route that many workers discredit this possibility.

    LSD and the Third Eye 1966

  • For the past two decades, treatments for depression have been based primarily on a brain chemical called serotonin, which is also linked to mood.

    canada.com Top Stories 2008

  • It may be that this essential fatty acid helps to build brain receptors for neurotransmitters such as serotonin, which is known to improve mood.

    CTV News RSS Feed Dr. Marla Shapiro 2010

  • The current generation of anti-depressant drugs, which change the way the brain absorbs a neurotransmitter called serotonin, are probably no more effective than placebos.

    Robert Kuttner: A Depressing Story You Need to Read Robert Kuttner 2011

  • The current generation of anti-depressant drugs, which change the way the brain absorbs a neurotransmitter called serotonin, are probably no more effective than placebos.

    Robert Kuttner: A Depressing Story You Need to Read Robert Kuttner 2011

  • The current generation of anti-depressant drugs, which change the way the brain absorbs a neurotransmitter called serotonin, are probably no more effective than placebos.

    Robert Kuttner: A Depressing Story You Need to Read Robert Kuttner 2011

  • Spending time with a BFF tamps down the "fight-or-flight" stress hormones and helps a woman's body create serotonin, which is the feel good brain neurotransmitter that keeps depression at bay and mood even.

    Nancy Deville: Girlfriends Over Husbands? Nancy Deville 2011

  • The current generation of anti-depressant drugs, which change the way the brain absorbs a neurotransmitter called serotonin, are probably no more effective than placebos.

    Robert Kuttner: A Depressing Story You Need to Read Robert Kuttner 2011

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