Effects of the serotonin hormone outside the brain are being investigated
Prof. Dr. Elif Çadırcı is researching the potential effects of the 'happiness hormone' on the human body outside of the brain.
AA
Having been present in research environments focused on the serotonin hormone at Oxford University in 2011 during her doctoral studies, Çadırcı turned her attention to the different effects of the happiness hormone on the human body alongside her other scientific work.
Continuing her scientific research in the laboratories of the Atatürk University Faculty of Medicine, Çadırcı is conducting a study on the effects of the serotonin hormone outside the human brain.
EFFECTS OF THE SEROTONIN HORMONE OUTSIDE THE BRAIN
Prof. Dr. Çadırcı, Head of the Department of Medical Pharmacology at Atatürk University Faculty of Medicine, was deemed worthy of the "2023 Pharmacy Academy Science Award" by the Turkish Pharmacists Association for her contributions to science, particularly through her ongoing research on the effects of the serotonin hormone outside the brain and on sepsis (an infectious disease) encountered by intensive care patients.
Prof. Dr. Çadırcı stated that she has been conducting research in the field of the serotonin hormone for 13 years and that her articles have been published in international journals.
"Serotonin, known among the public as the happiness hormone, is not just a happiness hormone," said Çadırcı, noting that there are serotonin receptors in the brain and adding, "Serotonin receptors in the brain play a role in many diseases such as depression and anxiety, but serotonin is a general mediator found in our stomach, our platelets, and all our cells."
Stating that she is conducting research specifically on the 7 receptors of serotonin, Çadırcı explained that she has moved beyond the hormone's generally known effects in the brain to focus on its effects on the nervous system.
Çadırcı said, "In the scientific world, the focus has always been on its effects in the brain. We became one of the first laboratories worldwide to focus not on the effects of the different receptors of serotonin (the happiness hormone) in the brain, but on its peripheral (nervous system) effects. In this context, we investigated the roles of the serotonin 7 hormone in both sepsis and other peripheral pathologies for the first time in this laboratory."
Explaining that they received support from TÜBİTAK for their studies, Çadırcı said that the data uncovered with other academics conducting research in the laboratory provides significant contributions to the scientific world and that the research is ongoing.