How can serotonin levels be measured?

Serotonin levels cannot be measured directly. The detection in the blood is very imprecise and hardly allows any conclusions about diseases. Up to now, no method has been developed to determine the absolute serotonin content of the body.

One of the reasons for this is that serotonin is practically not found freely in the blood. The largest proportion is stored in the thrombocytes (blood platelets). Even the examination of cerebral fluid cannot provide exact values, since only about 1% of the total serotonin present in the body is stored in the nerve cells of the brain. So we know the distribution, but not the absolute amounts, in which serotonin is present.

How can the serotonin level be increased?

Serotonin levels can be increased in a variety of ways. One possibility is to take drugs that bind to the various serotonin receptors and thus imitate the effect of serotonin. Such substances are called serotonin agonists or 5-HT agonsites.

By binding the agonist to the cell, the cell believes that serotonin is present at the receptor and the same subsequent mechanisms are triggered that would have been triggered by serotonin itself. On the other hand, there are drugs that inhibit the breakdown of serotonin, which causes the concentration to rise steadily. In order to understand the third pharmacological possibility for increasing serotonin levels, it is necessary to look at the exact process of serotonin release.

Serotonin is released as a messenger substance by a nerve cell, which then binds to the receptors of an adjacent cell. This binding is only short-lived and as soon as the serotonin is once again freely available between the two cells, it is completely reabsorbed by the first cell and can then be reused. This reabsorption can be prevented by so-called reuptake inhibitors, which increases the concentration of serotonin in the space between the two cells.

Food containing serotonin

As already mentioned, serotonin is a derivative of the amino acid tryptophan, which means that the body needs tryptophan to form serotonin from it. Serotonin is contained in some foods, but as such cannot cross the blood-brain barrier and therefore does not contribute significantly to the increase in serotonin levels. It is completely different if you consume foods that contain the precursor tryptophane. Foods containing tryptophane include nuts, kernels, grains, various types of cheese such as Edam and Parmesan and chocolate. They are able to raise serotonin levels to a certain extent.