Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-28-2024
Abstract
Declined memory is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Experiments in rodents and human postmortem studies suggest that serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) plays a role in memory, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here, we investigate the role of 5-HT 2C receptor (5-HT2CR) in regulating memory. Transgenic mice expressing a humanized HTR2C mutation exhibit impaired plasticity of hippocampal ventral CA1 (vCA1) neurons and reduced memory. Further, 5-HT neurons project to and synapse onto vCA1 neurons. Disruption of 5-HT synthesis in vCA1-projecting neurons or deletion of 5-HT2CRs in the vCA1 impairs neural plasticity and memory. We show that a selective 5-HT2CR agonist, lorcaserin, improves synaptic plasticity and memory in an AD mouse model. Cumulatively, we demonstrate that hippocampal 5-HT2CR signaling regulates memory, which may inform the use of 5-HT2CR agonists in the treatment of dementia.
Recommended Citation
Liu, H., He, Y., Liu, H., Brouwers, B., Yin, N., Lawler, K., Keogh, J., Henning, E., Lee, D., Yu, M., Tu, L., Zhang, N., Conde, K., Han, J., Yan, Z., Scarcelli, N., Liao, L., Xu, J., Tong, Q., Zheng, H., Sun, Z., Yang, Y., Wang, C., He, Y., Farooqi, I., & Xu, Y. (2024). Neural circuits expressing the serotonin 2C receptor regulate memory in mice and humans. Retrieved from https://repository.lsu.edu/pbrc_basic_science_pubs/15