title: Contributions of 5-HT(2C) receptors to multiple actions of central serotonin systems.
abstract: Insights into neural mechanisms through which central serotonin (5-HT) systems influence brain function may be gained by examining the contributions of individual 5-HT receptor subtypes. Significant attention has focused on the 5-HT(2C) receptor subtype, which is abundantly expressed throughout the central nervous system and displays high-affinity interactions with a wide variety of psychiatric medications. Both pharmacological and genetic approaches to the analysis of 5-HT(2C) receptor function reveal that it contributes substantially to the serotonergic regulation of a wide variety of behavioral and physiological processes. For example, significant inhibitory effects of 5-HT(2C) receptor stimulation have been observed in both limbic and striatal dopamine pathways. These may contribute to the effects of experimental 5-HT(2C) receptor manipulations on responses to psychostimulant, atypical antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs. Further evidence for a role of these receptors in affect regulation arises from recent findings that alterations in 5-HT(2C) mRNA editing are observed in the brains of suicide victims with a history of depression and in animals exposed to antidepressant drug treatment. Finally, we will review a growing body of evidence indicating a role of 5-HT(2C) receptors in the serotonergic regulation of energy balance. Pharmacological and genetic studies reveal these receptors to influence feeding, glucose homeostasis and the energy efficiency of physical activity.
authors.affiliation: Center for Neurobiology and Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, 401 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143-0984, USA.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giorgetti
authors.forename: Laurence H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Tecott
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001519:Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D044405:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2C / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D044405:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2C; D012701:Serotonin; D004298:Dopamine