PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Pau Celada
AU  - M. Victoria Puig
AU  - Mercè Amargós-Bosch
AU  - Albert Adell
AU  - Francesc Artigas
TI  - The therapeutic role of 5-HT<sub>1A</sub> and 5-HT<sub>2A</sub> receptors in depression
DP  - 2004 Jul 01
TA  - Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
PG  - 252--265
VI  - 29
IP  - 4
4099  - http://jpn.ca/content/29/4/252.short
4100  - http://jpn.ca/content/29/4/252.full
SO  - JPN2004 Jul 01; 29
AB  - The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most frequently prescribed antidepressant drugs, because they are well tolerated and have no severe side effects. They rapidly block serotonin (5-HT) reuptake, yet the onset of their therapeutic action requires weeks of treatment. This delay is the result of presynaptic and postsynaptic adaptive mechanisms secondary to reuptake inhibition. The prevention of a negative feedback mechanism operating at the 5-HT autoreceptor level enhances the neurochemical and clinical effects of SSRIs. The blockade of 5-HT2A receptors also seems to improve the clinical effects of SSRIs. These receptors are located postsynaptically to 5-HT axons, mainly in the neocortex. Pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex are particularly enriched in 5-HT2A receptors. Their blockade may affect the function of prefrontal–subcortical circuits, an effect that probably underlies the beneficial effects of the addition of atypical antipsychotic drugs, which are 5-HT2A receptor antagonists, to SSRIs in treatment-resistant patients.