title: The Role of Serotonin (5-HT) in Behavioral Control: Findings from Animal Research and Clinical Implications.
abstract: The neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine both have a critical role in the underlying neurobiology of different behaviors. With focus on the interplay between dopamine and serotonin, it has been proposed that dopamine biases behavior towards habitual responding, and with serotonin offsetting this phenomenon and directing the balance toward more flexible, goal-directed responding. The present focus paper stands in close relationship to the publication by Worbe et al. (2015), which deals with the effects of acute tryptophan depletion, a neurodietary physiological method to decrease central nervous serotonin synthesis in humans for a short period of time, on the balance between hypothetical goal-directed and habitual systems. In that research, acute tryptophan depletion challenge administration and a following short-term reduction in central nervous serotonin synthesis were associated with a shift of behavioral performance towards habitual responding, providing further evidence that central nervous serotonin function modulates the balance between goal-directed and stimulus-response habitual systems of behavioral control. In the present focus paper, we discuss the findings by Worbe and colleagues in light of animal experiments as well as clinical implications and discuss potential future avenues for related research.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Aachen & Jülich, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC (Drs Sanchez and Kuhn); Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Dr Herpertz); School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (Dr Hood), and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences & School of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dr ZEPF), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia; Specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Department of Health in Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia (Dr ZEPF).
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Aachen & Jülich, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC (Drs Sanchez and Kuhn); Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Dr Herpertz); School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (Dr Hood), and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences & School of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dr ZEPF), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia; Specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Department of Health in Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia (Dr ZEPF).
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Biskup
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Aachen & Jülich, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC (Drs Sanchez and Kuhn); Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Dr Herpertz); School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (Dr Hood), and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences & School of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dr ZEPF), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia; Specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Department of Health in Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia (Dr ZEPF).
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Herpertz
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Aachen & Jülich, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC (Drs Sanchez and Kuhn); Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Dr Herpertz); School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (Dr Hood), and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences & School of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dr ZEPF), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia; Specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Department of Health in Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia (Dr ZEPF).
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Gaber
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Aachen & Jülich, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC (Drs Sanchez and Kuhn); Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Dr Herpertz); School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (Dr Hood), and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences & School of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dr ZEPF), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia; Specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Department of Health in Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia (Dr ZEPF).
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Aachen & Jülich, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC (Drs Sanchez and Kuhn); Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Dr Herpertz); School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (Dr Hood), and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences & School of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dr ZEPF), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia; Specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Department of Health in Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia (Dr ZEPF).
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hood
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Aachen & Jülich, Germany (Drs Sanchez, Biskup, and Mr Gaber); Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC (Drs Sanchez and Kuhn); Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany (Dr Herpertz); School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (Dr Hood), and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences & School of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dr ZEPF), Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia; Specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Department of Health in Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia (Dr ZEPF) florian.zepf@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: F D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Zepf
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D006040:Goals; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012701:Serotonin
keywords: Serotonin; behavior; dopamine; goal-directed behavior; habitual responding