Role of Serotonin in the Neurobiology of Schizophrenia and Association With Negative Symptoms

Is serotonin release altered in vivo in schizophrenia, and is it associated with negative symptom severity?In this case-control neuroimaging study that included 54 adults, frontal cortex serotonin release was significantly greater in the 26 people with schizophrenia compared with 28 matched healthy controls. In schizophrenia, greater frontal cortex serotonin release was associated with more severe baseline negative symptoms.Findings suggest that serotonergic dysfunction in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia was associated with negative symptoms, identifying the regulation of serotonergic neurotransmission as a potential target to treat negative symptoms.

Corresponding Author: Martin Osugo, MBChB, PhD (martin.osugo@kcl.ac.uk), and Oliver D. Howes, BM BCh, PhD (oliver.howes@kcl.ac.uk& Neuroscience, King’s College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, 5th Floor, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom.

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