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Actions of antidepressant drugs at serotonergic and noradrenergic synapses. The figure shows the pre- and postsynaptic sides of serotonergic and
noradrenergic synapses. Serotonin and norepinephrine are synthesized from amino acid precursors by enzymatic cascades. The neurotransmitters are
packaged in synaptic vesicles; free neurotransmitter within the cytoplasm is metabolized by monoamine oxidase, an enzyme that is associated with the
abundant mitochondria found in presynaptic terminals. On release, serotonin and norepinephrine interact with several types of pre- and postsynaptic
receptors (see Tables 63–3 and 63–4). Each neurotransmitter is cleared from the synapse by a specific transporter. The serotonin and norepinephrine
transporters and monoamine oxidase are targets of antidepressant drugs.
Source: Disorders of Mood and Anxiety, Principles of Neural Science, Fifth Editon
Important sites of drug action at serotonergic synapses. Not all actions described are shown in the figure.
Citation: Kandel ER, Schwartz JH, Jessell TM, Siegelbaum SA, Hudspeth AJ, Mack S. Principles of Neural Science, Fifth Editon; 2012 Available
Enzymatic Synthesis.
p-Chlorophenylalanine
can inhibit
enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase, which initiates the cascade that converts
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tryptophan toCopyright
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Storage. Reserpine and tetrabenazine interfere with the transport of serotonin and catecholamines into synaptic vesicles by blocking the vesicular