Serotonin is a powerful brain chemical that is often linked to the onset of depression and depression symptoms. However, to emphasize clarity and to answer questions that may clear up some common misconceptions, here are some common questions about serotonin and depression answered.

What is serotonin?

This chemical relays electrical signals from one part of the brain to another. Often called a neurotransmitter, serotonin, despite playing an important role in the brain, is largely stored in the digestive system.

Where does serotonin come from?

The process behind making this brain chemical is complex and begins with the ingestion of the protein building block tryptophan. Once ingested by a person, tryptophan is picked up by serotonin creating cells that combine it with a reactant called tryptophan hydroxylase. The resulting biochemical reaction causes the release of serotonin.

How does serotonin influence one’s mental health?

Since serotonin has such a pivotal role in how messages are relayed across cells, this chemical is often responsible for controlling mood, sexual desire, sleep, memory, and certain aspects of social behavior. The brain has over forty million brain cells and a vast majority is influenced by serotonin to some extent, demonstrating how wide the reach of this particular compound is.

What links serotonin and depression?

Researchers have speculated that an imbalance in serotonin levels often causes depression. While this imbalance can come about through a host of reasons, such as lack of tryptophan or a shortage of receptors that accept the signals serotonin sends, some of the main symptoms of a serotonin imbalance are depression, anxiety and extreme anger in some cases.

The tricky aspect of concretely determining whether serotonin levels are directly related to depression is that measuring serotonin levels in a living brain is impossible. All research into serotonin imbalances in the brain are the result of autopsies on cadavers. Studies have been conducted to measure the levels of serotonin in a person’s bloodstream but so far findings have been muddled. It is still not clear whether low serotonin levels causes depression or that depression causes levels of serotonin to drop.

Certain antidepressants that influence serotonin, such as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), do help with symptoms of depression but scientists have not fully understood why these drugs are beneficial.

What can influence serotonin levels in the body?

Altering one’s diet has not been shown to raise one’s serotonin levels. Consuming protein rich foods, such as chicken or turkey that is rich in tryptophan, does not result in a higher level of serotonin as the body becomes inundated with the compound, other amino acids that are in these foods vie for the body’s cells, resulting in no correspondingly heightened level of the serotonin release or production.

Exercise can be beneficial in treating depression and has been found to improve mood, reduce stress, promote longer and more restful sleep cycles and to enhance feelings of self worth and self esteem. However, researchers have found no link between serotonin levels and regular physical activity.

The information above should give you a basic understanding of how serotonin and depression are related.  If you think you may have depression, do not try to regulate your serotonin levels on your own as a home remedy.  Instead, fully discuss your symptoms with your doctor so you can both work out a treatment plan.

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