RESEARCH PROFILE: Electrodes spy serotonin in vivo

摘要

The mood-regulating neurotransmitter 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), otherwise known as serotonin, has achieved notoriety in recent years as antidepressants that target its level in the brain have become pervasive. Yet, measuring the neurotransmitter in vivo has remained an elusive research goal, until now. In a paper in AC (2009, DOI 10.1021/ac9018846), Mark Wightman and colleagues from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill used cyclic voltammetry (CV) to make the first measurements of serotonin release in live animals, paving the way for future studies on how the neurotransmitter bridges the gap between environmental stimuli and behavior. "Nobody has ever had an opportunity to look at serotonin on a rapid time scale," says Wightman. Luckily, "serotonin is easily oxidized, which means you can use electrochemistry to study it." CV is typically used to detect analytes in solution by measuring current as a function of increasing and then decreasing voltage. This cycle is repeated as the an-alyte of interest comes and goes, giving a characteristic trace or signature that depends on the analyte's oxidative tipping point.