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Serotonin
Christian Johnson

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Serotonin
Serotonin is a chemical found in the body of humans, animals and plants, throughout the body that carries signals along and between nerve cells. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is believed to promote a feeling of happiness and help treat depression. Many medications are used to increase the amount of serotonin to help battle depression and anxiety. Serotonin can be found in many parts of body, having different functions in each area, Serotonin plays a crucial role wherever it is found.
The chemical serotonin doesn’t have just one function because it is synthesized in throughout the body including, the brain, gut and placenta. Serotonin is widely recognized for the role it plays in affiliation with a person’s mood, this function takes place in the brain. Happiness, anxiety and depression are due to the serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin’s functions are not just limited to the brain, it also affects bone density. High levels of serotonin in bones can lead to an increase in osteoporosis. In the arteries, sertononin is a vasoconstrictor, which is a substance that causes the muscle in the blood vessels to contract.
As previously stated, Serotonin is synthesized in many parts of the body. In each area this chemical is synthesized, it has a different function. Serotonin is synthesized from an amino acid called tryptophan. Over 95 percent of the body’s serotonin is synthesized in the gut. “Serotonin from the gut keeps bone-making in check: it suppresses the osteoblasts from making fresh bone, but to the caustic osteoclasts it says neither yea nor nay” (page 3). Despite the fact that the

Johnson 3 majority of serotonin is synthesized in the gut, it is more commonly known for its role in the brain. Serotonin is used to stimulate growth of neural connections. During this process serotonin
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