T he challenge wasn’t making an organoid with serotonin-producing cells. It was making only serotonin-producing cells in an organoid model of a brain region that is rife with diverse cell types, all packed in close proximity. “It’s just absolutely overwhelming what happens in the brainstem,” Paşca says. There could be an entire arsenal of neuromodulatory […]
Activation of serotonin receptors in the medial septum, a region along the midline of the brain, reverses social memory deficits in a mouse model of autism, according to new research. The results show a new mechanism by which serotonin shapes social function and suggest that the effects of the chemical messenger can vary depending on […]
Friend Zone: Mice with autism-related mutations overcome their disinterest in other mice after receiving MDMA or an experimental serotonin agonist. Stuart Wilson / Science Source Two unapproved drugs that increase the neurotransmitter serotonin significantly increase sociability in six autism mouse models, according to a new study. The findings build on decades of work suggesting that […]
