Good news! However, this is a small scale study (only 26 participants). What is or how much is empirical and what is model based research here seems a bit quirky.
"... The study by scientists ... found people with increased serotonin levels had reduced sensitivity to punishing outcomes (for example, losing money in a game) without significantly affecting sensitivity to rewarding ones (winning money). ...
The study involved 26 participants who were given the drug to increase serotonin, with a further 27 in a control group, who were asked to do a series of tasks measuring learning and behavioral control. State-of-the-art models were then used to understand participant behavior. ...
'We believe it may offer important insights into the cause and treatment of depression.' ..."
From the abstract:
"The role of serotonin in human behaviour is informed by approaches which allow in vivo modification of synaptic serotonin. However, characterising the effects of increased serotonin signalling in human models of behaviour is challenging given the limitations of available experimental probes, notably selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Here we use a now-accessible approach to directly increase synaptic serotonin in humans (a selective serotonin releasing agent) and examine its influence on domains of behaviour historically considered core functions of serotonin. Computational techniques, including reinforcement learning and drift diffusion modelling, explain participant behaviour at baseline and after week-long intervention. Reinforcement learning models reveal that increasing synaptic serotonin reduces sensitivity for outcomes in aversive contexts. Furthermore, increasing synaptic serotonin enhances behavioural inhibition, and shifts bias towards impulse control during exposure to aversive emotional probes. These effects are seen in the context of overall improvements in memory for neutral verbal information. Our findings highlight the direct effects of increasing synaptic serotonin on human behaviour, underlining its role in guiding decision-making within aversive and more neutral contexts, and offering implications for longstanding theories of central serotonin function."
Serotonin changes how people learn and respond to negative information (original news release)
Fig. 1: Selective serotonin releasing agent is not negated by 5-HT1A supersensitivity, resulting in a rapid onset of pro-serotonergic activity.
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