Glucocorticoid regulation of the serotonergic system of the brain

Abstract

Glucorticoids at concentrations above 10(-7) M stimulate the uptake of tryptophan by brain synaptosomes. Furthermore, in both developmental and drug-induced (reserpine and ethanol) increases of brain tryptophan hydroxylase activity, glucocorticoids are required in order for the increases to occur. If de novo enzyme synthesis is assumed to take place in such increases, we could adopt the working hypothesis that two loci of glucocorticoid action may exist in serotonergic neurons with respect to their specific function: one in the cell body presumably in a sequence of macromolecular events, and the other directly on nerve terminals. Thus, in its immediate action, the hormone may rapidly regulate 5-HT synthesis through an increased uptake of tryptophan by nerve terminals. In the slow action, the hormone may mainly play a permissive role in the induction of tryptophan hydroxylase by factors yet to be identified.