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Tortora F, Hadipour AL, Battaglia S, Falzone A, Avenanti A, Vicario CM. The Role of Serotonin in Fear Learning and Memory: A Systematic Review of Human Studies. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1197. [PMID: 37626553 PMCID: PMC10452575 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13081197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear is characterized by distinct behavioral and physiological responses that are essential for the survival of the human species. Fear conditioning (FC) serves as a valuable model for studying the acquisition, extinction, and expression of fear. The serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) system is known to play a significant role in emotional and motivational aspects of human behavior, including fear learning and expression. Accumulating evidence from both animal and human studies suggests that brain regions involved in FC, such as the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex, possess a high density of 5-HT receptors, implicating the crucial involvement of serotonin in aversive learning. Additionally, studies exploring serotonin gene polymorphisms have indicated their potential influence on FC. Therefore, the objective of this work was to review the existing evidence linking 5-HT with fear learning and memory in humans. Through a comprehensive screening of the PubMed and Web of Science databases, 29 relevant studies were included in the final review. These studies investigated the relationship between serotonin and fear learning using drug manipulations or by studying 5-HT-related gene polymorphisms. The results suggest that elevated levels of 5-HT enhance aversive learning, indicating that the modulation of serotonin 5-HT2A receptors regulates the expression of fear responses in humans. Understanding the role of this neurochemical messenger in associative aversive learning can provide insights into psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Tortora
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e Degli Studi Culturali, Università Degli Studi di Messina, Via Concezione 6, 98121 Messina, Italy; (F.T.); (A.F.)
| | - Abed L. Hadipour
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e Degli Studi Culturali, Università Degli Studi di Messina, Via Concezione 6, 98121 Messina, Italy; (F.T.); (A.F.)
| | - Simone Battaglia
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia “Renzo Canestrari”, Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Viale Rasi e Spinelli 176, 47521 Cesena, Italy;
| | - Alessandra Falzone
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e Degli Studi Culturali, Università Degli Studi di Messina, Via Concezione 6, 98121 Messina, Italy; (F.T.); (A.F.)
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia “Renzo Canestrari”, Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Viale Rasi e Spinelli 176, 47521 Cesena, Italy;
- Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica Del Maule, Talca 3460000, Chile
| | - Carmelo M. Vicario
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e Degli Studi Culturali, Università Degli Studi di Messina, Via Concezione 6, 98121 Messina, Italy; (F.T.); (A.F.)
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del Pino J, Moyano-Cires PV, Anadon MJ, Díaz MJ, Lobo M, Capo MA, Frejo MT. Molecular Mechanisms of Amitraz Mammalian Toxicity: A Comprehensive Review of Existing Data. Chem Res Toxicol 2015; 28:1073-94. [DOI: 10.1021/tx500534x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Javier del Pino
- Departament of Toxicology
and Pharmacology, Veterinary School, and ‡Department of
Toxicology and Legal Medicine, Medicine School, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Paula Viviana Moyano-Cires
- Departament of Toxicology
and Pharmacology, Veterinary School, and ‡Department of
Toxicology and Legal Medicine, Medicine School, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria Jose Anadon
- Departament of Toxicology
and Pharmacology, Veterinary School, and ‡Department of
Toxicology and Legal Medicine, Medicine School, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - María Jesús Díaz
- Departament of Toxicology
and Pharmacology, Veterinary School, and ‡Department of
Toxicology and Legal Medicine, Medicine School, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Margarita Lobo
- Departament of Toxicology
and Pharmacology, Veterinary School, and ‡Department of
Toxicology and Legal Medicine, Medicine School, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Andrés Capo
- Departament of Toxicology
and Pharmacology, Veterinary School, and ‡Department of
Toxicology and Legal Medicine, Medicine School, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - María Teresa Frejo
- Departament of Toxicology
and Pharmacology, Veterinary School, and ‡Department of
Toxicology and Legal Medicine, Medicine School, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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