Is serotonin the happy brain chemical? • Hacker News Board

Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#71

Post by coldtea » Wed, Jan 27, 2016, 10:51 AM UTC

DanBC wrote: post #70

coldtea wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You might be over-estimating how much alcohol the average French person drinks, or under-estimating the harm that results tot he regular drinkers. Well, I know how much people back in my village drink, and I probably underestimate it. As for effects, they merely live to 80-90 and still manage to work on the fields and such. > "a glass or two of wine with your meal" "every day" is unequivocally harmful. It's a dange…

> the science seems to support it, e.g: You claim the science supports it, but you link to the Telegraph and Reuters?

Well, one who is good at nitpicking should also be able to find links for the original papers in the articles -- as well as numerous others.

And if we're to nitpick, I'll have to say that at least I linked to "Telegraph and Reuters" whereas you didn't link to any source at all for your statements.

Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#72

Post by mobiuscog » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 9:40 AM UTC

bluedevil2k wrote: post #51

rudolf0 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also keep in mind that depression isn't always caused by serotonin issues or remediated by increasing serotonin (which is somewhat redundant with this article, though I think the article paints serotonin too negatively). For example, if someone has bipolar disorder (or similar issues), they may have fairly standard serotonin concentration and receptor activation, but an SSRI may not help much with their depression.

True, but the thought is that the feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, even suicide are seratonin related. There are other types of depression like "don't enjoy things I used to like, lack mental acuity" that may be dopamine related. And "mopey, lack energy" which may be noradrenaline related.

And what if you suffer from all three of those 'types' ?

Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#73

Post by mobiuscog » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 9:41 AM UTC

stuaxo wrote: post #38

carleverett wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Relevant part of this comment: "I am no brain scientist." You probably could have had the same effect from a sugar pill.

5HTP definitely works. In fact the ones you get in the health food shop (in the UK), seem to have too high a dose. I seem to get sleepy from them, (but unable to sleep), + a very buzzy mood - similar to other things that can cause too much serotonin.

It did nothing for me - no noticable effect.

Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#74

Post by Raphmedia » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 4:38 PM UTC

mobiuscog wrote: post #73

stuaxo wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

5HTP definitely works. In fact the ones you get in the health food shop (in the UK), seem to have too high a dose. I seem to get sleepy from them, (but unable to sleep), + a very buzzy mood - similar to other things that can cause too much serotonin.

It did nothing for me - no noticable effect.

Did you take it daily for 2 weeks and/or are you certain you have issues with your Serotonin? Also, did you try taking it with green tea extracts to make sure most the 5-HTP is going to your brain and not your gut?

Personally, ever since it did have an effect and improved my mood, I can't notice any effects from it.

Re: Is serotonin the happy brain chemical?

#75

Post by tachyonbeam » Fri, Jan 29, 2016, 4:55 AM UTC

rudolf0 wrote: post #46

tachyonbeam wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reason it doesn't last is that you're building a tolerance. Your brain tries to adapt so that it can bring you back to "baseline". If such mechanisms weren't in place, then a change in diet could have a massive impact on our moods and mental stability.

I agree; this article is a little misleading. Any substance that rapidly releases serotonin will definitely make you feel happy, if you're not already tolerant. It's obviously more complex than just being "the happy neurotransmitter", but it is tied to general mood.

It is tied to mood, the reason it's more complicated though is that there are many clusters of neuron in the brain which use serotonin to communicate. There are 14 known serotonin receptor subtypes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-HT_receptor#Subtypes). Psychedelic drugs (mushrooms, LSD, etc) typically act on 5-HT2a receptors. Serotonin is involved in perceptual filtering, hence why fractal patterns and hallucinations can occur when 5-HT2a is triggered.

I would actually say that there's a more obvious link between dopamine and mood than serotonin. Dopamine releasers (amphetamines, meth, ritalin, cocaine) produce an immediate uplifting and confidence-boosting effect. MDMA doesn't just release serotonin, it also releases dopamine. The serotonin release from MDMA is responsible for its powerful anti-anxiety effect. It's believed that the "loved up" feeling from that drug is due to an indirect action of serotonin which eventually produce oxytocin release.