Pharmacologic modification of serotonergic function: drugs for the study and treatment of psychiatric and other disorders.

The development of direct serotonin agonists, selective inhibitors of serotonin uptake, serotonin receptor antagonists, and other drugs affecting serotonergic function has aided the study of physiologic functions of brain serotonin neurons in laboratory animals and the recognition and classification of serotonin receptor subtypes. Agents of these types are real or potential drugs for the treatment of psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression) and other disorders such as overeating, alcoholism, myoclonus, and chronic pain. In addition, the agents may permit assessment of the functional state of brain serotonin receptors in humans.