Learning & education: Serotonin
The use of psychedelics for their potential cognitive and mental health benefits is a topic that has gained attention in recent years. Psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, DMT, ketamine, and MDMA have been explored for their nootropic and psychoplastogenic properties, making them intriguing subjects for research and clinical trials.
Testing for serotonin levels in the brain is very difficult. Although blood tests are available for serotonin, doctors tend to diagnose low serotonin based on symptoms, not blood concentrations. In the case of serotonin syndrome (high levels of serotonin caused by medication use), doctors use symptomatology and a thorough assessment of medications to arrive at a diagnosis [14,15].
Serotonin is synthesized through a series of enzymatic reactions, beginning with the essential amino acid tryptophan. Essential amino acids cannot be produced by the body, hence the name, and must therefore be consumed through the food we eat.
Serotonin syndrome (SS), or serotonin toxicity [1,2], is a condition that can be potentially life-threatening, and is brought about by the use of serotonergic drugs [3,4]. The term serotonergic simply refers to a substance, compound, or receptor that affects pathways that involve the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Honokiol is a natural compound derived from the bark and seed cones of the Magnolia tree. It has a long history of use in traditional medicine, particularly in East Asia. It has gained significant attention in recent years due to its potential therapeutic properties, especially as an allosteric modulator of GABA receptors.
5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-HTP for short, is the intermediate metabolite of the essential amino acid tryptophan in the process of serotonin biosynthesis [1]. That is to say, it is an immediate precursor to serotonin [1,2].
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