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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

A Plate-Based Assay for the Measurement of Endogenous Monoamine Release in Acute Brain Slices

A Plate-Based Assay for the Measurement of Endogenous Monoamine Release in Acute Brain Slices

Published on: August 11, 2021

Evolution and function in serotonergic systems.

Rhanor Gillette¹

¹Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 524 Burrill Hall 407 S. Goodwin Avenue, University of Illinois at Urbana, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.

Integrative and Comparative Biology

|June 16, 2011

Summary

Serotonin (5-HT) systems in invertebrates and vertebrates share arousal functions but differ in appetite regulation. Invertebrate 5-HT promotes appetite, while vertebrate 5-HT suppresses it, linked to complex nutrient storage and feeding behaviors.

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Functional Analysis of the Larval Feeding Circuit in Drosophila

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Functional Analysis of the Larval Feeding Circuit in Drosophila

Functional Analysis of the Larval Feeding Circuit in Drosophila

Published on: November 19, 2013

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Comparative Biology
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Serotonin (5-HT) systems in invertebrates and vertebrates exhibit functional similarities in central nervous system (CNS) arousal.
Invertebrate 5-HT neurons and vertebrate raphe nuclei neurons share roles in innervating circuits and regulating behavioral arousal.
Both systems utilize diverse 5-HT receptors and modulate CNS circuitry gain.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare the distinct roles of serotonin in appetite regulation across invertebrates and vertebrates.
To investigate the evolutionary divergence in satiety mechanisms and their connection to nutrient storage.
To explore how nutrient storage integration with CNS circuitry influences behavioral complexity.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of neurochemical systems (serotonergic and peptidergic) in lophotrochozoan invertebrates and vertebrates.
Review of existing literature on appetite, arousal, and satiety regulation mechanisms.
Hypothesis generation for future experimental testing in comparative studies.

Main Results:

Invertebrate 5-HT promotes appetite, whereas vertebrate 5-HT suppresses appetite, with arousal roles subordinate to orexin/hypocretin systems.
Vertebrate appetite regulation involves complex hypothalamic sensitivity to hormones, glucose, and gut stretch, unlike simpler invertebrate gut-stretching satiety.
Nutrient storage integration with CNS appetite circuitry may drive the evolution of complex brain and behavior.

Conclusions:

The divergence in 5-HT's role in appetite regulation reflects differing complexities in satiety mechanisms and nutrient storage.
The connection between nutrient stores and CNS appetite circuitry is a potential substrate for evolving behavioral complexity.
Further comparative studies of 5-HT and peptidergic functions are crucial for understanding appetite and arousal evolution.