Cowen P J
MRC Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, Littlemore Hospital, Oxford.
Br J Psychiatry Suppl. 1991 Sep(12):7-14.
Serotonin (5-HT) interacts with multiple brain 5-HT receptor subtypes to influence a wide range of behaviours. Three main families of 5-HT receptors (5-HT1, 5-HT2 and 5-HT3) have been described which differ in their binding affinity for selective ligands, their receptor-effector coupling mechanisms, and the behavioural processes they regulate. Nevertheless, manipulation of several different 5-HT receptor subtypes (5-HT1A, 5-HT1C, 5-HT2 and 5-HT3) may produce anxiolytic effects; 5-HT1A and 5-HT2 receptors may be involved in the aetiology of major depression and the therapeutic effects of antidepressant treatment; and 5-HT3 receptors have been linked to reward mechanisms and cognitive processes. These advances offer therapeutic possibilities, the value of which can only be satisfactorily assessed by controlled clinical trials.
血清素（5-羟色胺，5-HT）与多种脑内5-HT受体亚型相互作用，从而影响广泛的行为。已描述了5-HT受体的三个主要家族（5-HT1、5-HT2和5-HT3），它们对选择性配体的结合亲和力、受体-效应器偶联机制以及所调节的行为过程各不相同。然而，对几种不同的5-HT受体亚型（5-HT1A、5-HT1C、5-HT2和5-HT3）进行调控可能会产生抗焦虑作用；5-HT1A和5-HT2受体可能参与重度抑郁症的病因学及抗抑郁治疗的疗效；并且5-HT3受体已与奖赏机制和认知过程相关联。这些进展提供了治疗可能性，其价值只能通过对照临床试验来令人满意地评估。
