The neurotransmitter released in the extracellular space reaches target receptors localized up to several µm from the source (axon varicosities or terminals).

5-HT volume neurotransmission is frequently observed in the neocortex, the hippocampus, and several other brain areas. For more details on the functional consequences see the references indicated in the text. Selected abbreviations and acronyms 5-HIAA 5 -hydroxyindolacetic Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical acid 5-HT 5-hydroxytryptamine SERT serotonin membrane transporter TPOH tryptophan hydroxylase VGLUT vesicular glutamate transporter VMAT vesicular monoamine transporter See also the Appendix for an explanation of some of the terms used in the text
Emotions Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical influence behavior and decisions. They are vital in evaluating whether perceived information is harmless or dangerous, for making appropriate responses, and for making rational decisions.1-3 The ability to regulate emotions

is thus essential for controlling actions, and difficulty with emotion regulation is a key factor of alcoholism.4 For example, alcoholics exhibit deficits in decoding emotional facial expressions5-10 and in controlling impulsivity, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and they exhibit behavioral disinhibition whether sober or drunk.11,12 Selective brain systems that engage the amygdala play a crucial Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical role in a tendency to experience negative emotion and in promoting alcohol intake.13-15 Patients with selective damage to the amygdala have shown impaired recognition of negative emotions,16 such as fear17-19 or disgust.20,21 Chronic alcohol consumption is associated with widespread brain structural

compromise, marked by gray and white matter shrinkage and ventricular enlargement seen in animal studies,22,23 human neuroimaging studies,24-27 and with postmortem examination.28-29 The observed emotional deficits and Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical evidence for brain compromise suggest that the structural neurocircuitry of emotion and cognitive control may be affected in chronic alcoholism. Neurocircuitry of emotion and cognition Since the first demonstration of specific brain sites involved in pleasure,30 extensive animal research has identified striatal and midbrain areas and their dopaminergic and Etomidate glutamatergic Angiogenesis inhibitor projections to other brain structures as key components that regulate the reward circuit (for reviews see refs 31,32). Researchers using neuroimaging techniques recently confirmed the basic anatomy and pathways of cortico-striatal reward (eg, refs 33,34) and cortico-limbic emotion circuits in humans (eg, refs 35-38). The limbic system, located on the medial surface of the cerebral hemispheres, includes the rostral anterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala.