What is the Role of Serotonin in Decision Making?



Abstract

Serotonin, also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine, is the most important player in the decision making process. It is used in every functions related to decision. Those decision making functions can be decision of sleep, regular work or job related work etc. Many of the drugs are used for increasing the serotonin hormones in order to increase the process of decision making. The present study proposes the hypothesis that how serotonin plays an important role in decision making process and by the help of this mechanism, what type of decision can be made easily.

Thesis Statement4

Introduction4

Aim of the Study5

Decision Making Process5

Serotonin6

Level of Serotonin6

Increasing Level of Serotonin6

Decreasing level of serotonin6

Serotonin in the Decision Making7

Reversal Learning7

Serotonin in the Reversal Learning7

Impulsive Learning8

Serotonin in the Impulsive Learning8

Impact of Serotonin in Decision Making Process9

Serotonin (5-HT) receptors in Reversal and Impulsive Learning9

Experiments Related to Reversal and Impulsive Learning10

Experiments 110

Experiment 211

Experiment 311

Computational Models of Serotonin12

Conclusion13

References15

What is the Role of Serotonin in Decision Making?

Thesis Statement

Serotonin plays an important role in decision making process and by the help of this mechanism, decision can be made easily.

Introduction

Serotonin is the hormone in the pineal gland, digestive tract, the central part of nervous system, and blood platelets. A hormone regulates and controls the different activity of cell, organ and tissues. It is a neurotransmitter that transmits the impulses of nerve across the synapse (Garattini and Valzelli, 1965). Serotonin plays an important role in the decision making process, whether that decision related to any aspects of life. Increase or decrease of serotonin level in the brain affects the overall decision making process (Stockmeier et. al, 1998, 7394-7401). About 80% of serotonin is in the enterochromaffin cells which regulate the movement of intestinal while 20% of serotonin is in the serotonergic neurons in the central part of nervous system (Shore et. al, 1957, 609-617).

In the process of decision making, serotonin plays the most important role. The drugs used for increasing the serotonin first strengthen the body parts and provide helps in decision making but then it create weakness in the nervous system (Baumgarten and Grozdanovic, 1998, 13-20). Thus, normal level of serotonin in the brain, help in improving the reversal learning and impulsive learning which in turn decreased the delay discounting procedure. Subtypes of serotonin (5-HT) also plays an essential role in the process of decision making (Homberg, 2012, 218-236). Because of the process of serotonin and subtype serotonin mechanism, a hypothesis is made that serotonin (5-HT) helps in decision making procedure.

Compulsivity and impulsivity is decreased by 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C agonists while univocally decision making process is affected by the use of 5-HT6 antagonists. In the compulsivity learning task, the role of serotonin is well reflected. Thus impulsivity is increased through HT2C antagonism while it reduces the compulsivity learning behavior. NAc micro injectors maintain the 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptor antagonism on impulsivity. Impulsivity learning involves 5-HT2A receptors in the MPFC (Boulougouris and Robbins, 2010, 930-938).

Aim of the Study

The aim of the research paper is to know the serotonin ...