5-HT2A Receptors in the Central Nervous System

Abstract

5-Hydroxytryptamine 2A receptors (5-HT2ARs), have been implicated in various psychiatric and neurological disorders, including epilepsy. Interestingly, epileptic patients commonly present comorbid psychiatric symptoms, and a bidirectional link between depression and epilepsy has been suggested. Therefore, the alteration of 5-HT2A signalling might represent a common anatomical and neurobiological substrate of both pathologies. After a brief presentation of the role of 5-HT in epilepsy, this chapter illustrates how 5-HT2A receptors may directly or indirectly control neuronal excitability in networks involved in different types of epilepsy. It also synthetizes the preclinical and clinical evidence, demonstrating the role of these receptors in antiepileptic responses.