Serotonergic modulation of cognitive computations

• Published in: Current opinion in behavioral sciences Vol. 38; pp. 116 - 123
• Main Authors: Doya, Kenji, Miyazaki, Kayoko W, Miyazaki, Katsuhiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2021
• ISSN: 2352-1546; 2352-1554
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.02.003

•Molecular tools for cell-type-specific recording and manipulation are revealing unprecedented details of serotonergic neuromodulation.•Serotonin signaling and neuromodulatory effects are different depending on the projection sources and targets.•We conjecture that serotonergic neuromodulation evolved for signaling the time and resource available for action, learning, and development. Serotonin is a neuromodulator that is implicated in awake-sleep cycle, motor behaviors, reward, motivation, and mood. Recent molecular tools for cell-type-specific activity recording and manipulation with fine temporal and spatial resolutions are providing unprecedentedly detailed data about serotonergic neuromodulation. These newly gained information show substantial differences in the signaling and effect of serotonergic neuromodulation depending on the projection targets. To find the common denominator for this diversity, we conjecture that the evolution of serotonergic neuromodulation originates from signaling the time and resource available for action, learning, and development.