1. Serotonin

2. Content What is Serotonin? What is it used for? What’s the effect (too much/too little of it)? Factors that may cause Imbalance in serotonin Case study Drugs

3. What’s Serotonin Neurotransmitter Known as 5 hydroxytryptamine Found in: Pinal gland Digestive tract Central nervous system Blood platelets

4. What is it used for? Control the mood of a person Regulate sleep Arousal levels Social behavior

5. What’s the effect? Too little: Eating disorders Panic attacks OCD Too much: Anxiety Insomnia Sexual dysfunction Gastrointestinal disturbances

6. Factors that may cause Imbalance in serotonin Low brain cell production of serotonin A lack of receptor sites able to receive the serotonin that is made Inability of serotonin to reach the receptor sites A shortage in tryptophan

7. Case study 72-hour pilgrimage, Japan Did not consume water or food Hallucinate after 48 hours Blood sample showed serotonin levels had increased

8. SSRIs: Most commonly used antidepressant Symptoms Examples: Citalopram (Celexa) Escitalopram (Lexapro) Fluoxetine (Prozac) Paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva) Sertraline (Zoloft Drugs

9. References Feature, Colette BouchezWebMD. "Serotonin and Depression: 9 Questions and Answers." WebMD. WebMD, 30 Dec. 0089. Web. 13 Sept. 2013. http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/serotonin Nordqvist, Christian. "What Is Serotonin? What Does Serotonin Do?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 04 Aug. 2011. Web. 13 Sept. 2013. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232248.php M. Stahl, Stephen. "Serotonin: It's Possible to Have Too Much of a Good Thing/Brainstorms December 1997." Serotonin: It's Possible to Have Too Much of a Good Thing/Brainstorms December 1997. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2013. Crane, John & Hannibal, Jette. “Biological level of analysis: psychology and behavior” Psychology Course Companion. Oxford, 2009.