Serotonin In Brain: A Cue for
Alzheimer�?¢�?�?��?�?�s Disease

Vivek Sharma*, Anita, Rajni Sharma,Rajender Guleria

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a common fatal neurodegenerative disorder

is manifested by core features of progressive memory impairment,

visuospatial decline, aphasia, agnosia, loss of executive function and

severe neuropsychiatric changes like hallucinations and depression. AD

is characterized by cholinergic dysfunction, but treatments targeting

the cholinergic system alone have yielded disappointing results.

Present review focuses on the investigation of possible involvement of

serotonin (5-HT) in pathogenesis of AD beside its versatile role in brain

physiology. Serotonin has been implicated in almost every conceivable

physiologic or behavioural function like affect, aggression, appetite,

cognition, memory, sleep, emesis, endocrine functions, gastrointestinal

functions, motor functions, neurotrophism, perception, sensory

functions, sex, and vascular function etc. In addition to its physiological

role, growing evidence suggests the neuromodulator serotonin also

regulates the connectivity of the brain by modulating developmental

cellular migration and cyto-architecture. Pathologically, it is involved in

depression, aggression, anxiety and disturbances in food intake. This

plethora of roles has consequently led to the development of many

compounds of therapeutic value, including various antidepressant,

antipsychotic and antiemetic drugs. Investigation of serotonin is

encouraged by the act that there is serotonin loss in normal aging and

neuropsychiatric diseases of late life which may contribute to

behavioural changes. Continuous researches over the years have found

that instead of malfunction of single neurotransmitter, AD is a

multineurotransmitter deficit thus role of other neurotransmitter

particularly 5HT, beside Ach needs thorough investigation.

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