Neurochemical studies in normal volunteers
Nutt DJ., Cowen PJ.
1. The use of normal volunteers in the study of human central nervous system biochemistry and pharmacology is exemplified by studies on serotonin and noradrenaline function. 2. It is concluded that benzodiazepines reduce and lithium enhances brain serotonin function. 3. The studies on noradrenaline reveal that in normal controls there does not appear to be tonic inhibitory activity at presynaptic alpha-2-adrenoceptors and that antidepressants, even after chronic treatment, still increase noradrenergic synaptic throughput.