The effects of serotonin manipulations on emotional information processing and mood.
BACKGROUND
Serotonin is implicated in both mood and cognition. It has recently been shown that antidepressant treatment has immediate effects on emotional information processing, which is much faster than any clinically significant effects. This review aims to investigate whether the effects on emotional information processing are reliable, and whether these effects are related to eventual clinical outcome. Treatment-efficiency may be greatly improved if early changes in emotional information processing are found to predict clinical outcome following antidepressant treatment.


METHODS
Review of studies investigating the short-term effects of serotonin manipulations (including medication) on the processing of emotional information, using PubMed and PsycInfo databases.


RESULTS
Twenty-five studies were identified. Serotonin manipulations were found to affect attentional bias, facial emotion recognition, emotional memory, dysfunctional attitudes and decision making. The sequential link between changes in emotional processing and mood remains to be further investigated.


CONCLUSIONS
The number of studies on serotonin manipulations and emotional information processing in currently depressed subjects is small. No studies yet have directly tested the link between emotional information processing and clinical outcome during the course of antidepressant treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Serotonin function is related to several aspects of emotional information processing, but it is unknown whether these changes predict or have any relationship with clinical outcome. Suggestions for future research are provided.
Merens
Wendelien
W
Leiden University, Institute for Psychological Research, Clinical Psychology Unit, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands. merens@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Willem Van der Does
A J
AJ
Spinhoven
Philip
P
D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001364:Awareness / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology*; D018490:Serotonin Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000502:physiology / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D018490:Serotonin Agents; D012701:Serotonin; D014364:Tryptophan