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Serotonin
BRAIN RESEARCH
271
Book Reviews
Serotonin, by S. GARATTINIAND L. VALZELLI.Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1965, 392 pages, Price Dfl. 75.00.
As pointed out by I. H. Page in the Foreword, serotonin is present in a bewildering number of tissues, both animal and plant, and in this book the authors have attempted the monumental task of reviewing the present state of knowledge of this substance. The book is in fact a compendium of information about serotonin; it runs nearly 400 pages, 15 ~ of this being taken up with references and another 30 ~ with appendices. The latter contain some very useful information, however. The first four chapters of the book deal with the chemical estimation and metabolism of serotonin. There is some useful information on stability in the first chapter, but it is a pity that the antiquated term 'Wood's light' is used in relation to fluorescence as many readers will not know its meaning. In Chapter 2 very little space has been devoted to spectrophotofluorometric methods, although these are now the most commonly used methods. Chapter 3 is a very adequate summary of the biochemistry of serotonin, although no references later than 1962 are given. Chapters 5 to 9 deal with the role of serotonin in anaphylaxis, allergy and inflammatory reactions, in renal functions, in endocrine and metabolic activities and in the cardiovascular system. The last chapter, Chapter 10, deals with the central nervous system and this is the one which will be of most interest to readers of 'Brain Research'. This is very comprehensive although, as the authors point out, it is impossible to describe all the problems of biochemistry, physiology, pathology and pharmacology of the central nervous system in which serotonin has been implicated. The distribution, storage and metabolism of serotonin in the brain are particularly well dealt with. Most of the central effects of serotonin are listed, but for some reason the authors have decided that electrophysiological effects are beyond the scope of the book. There is only a passing reference to electrophoretically applied serotonin but most of the publications in this field have appeared since 1963. A good deal of space is devoted to drugs which release serotonin and to monoamine oxidase inhibitors. There is a brief reference to serotonin in mental disease and some discussion of its role in other pathological conditions. While the bibliography and appendices, which comprise nearly halfthebook, are extremely useful, the text is of rather less value. It is a pity that the book, which must have taken a long time to produce, could not have been more free of misprints. Furthermore, the whole of the text is characterised by extremely short paragraphs, many of which consist of only one sentence, and this is extremely irritating to the reader. However, as a source of information on serotonin all in one place it should be very useful. P. B. BRADLEY Birmingham (Great Britain) Brain Research, 5 (1967) 271
271
Book Reviews
Serotonin, by S. GARATTINIAND L. VALZELLI.Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1965, 392 pages, Price Dfl. 75.00.
As pointed out by I. H. Page in the Foreword, serotonin is present in a bewildering number of tissues, both animal and plant, and in this book the authors have attempted the monumental task of reviewing the present state of knowledge of this substance. The book is in fact a compendium of information about serotonin; it runs nearly 400 pages, 15 ~ of this being taken up with references and another 30 ~ with appendices. The latter contain some very useful information, however. The first four chapters of the book deal with the chemical estimation and metabolism of serotonin. There is some useful information on stability in the first chapter, but it is a pity that the antiquated term 'Wood's light' is used in relation to fluorescence as many readers will not know its meaning. In Chapter 2 very little space has been devoted to spectrophotofluorometric methods, although these are now the most commonly used methods. Chapter 3 is a very adequate summary of the biochemistry of serotonin, although no references later than 1962 are given. Chapters 5 to 9 deal with the role of serotonin in anaphylaxis, allergy and inflammatory reactions, in renal functions, in endocrine and metabolic activities and in the cardiovascular system. The last chapter, Chapter 10, deals with the central nervous system and this is the one which will be of most interest to readers of 'Brain Research'. This is very comprehensive although, as the authors point out, it is impossible to describe all the problems of biochemistry, physiology, pathology and pharmacology of the central nervous system in which serotonin has been implicated. The distribution, storage and metabolism of serotonin in the brain are particularly well dealt with. Most of the central effects of serotonin are listed, but for some reason the authors have decided that electrophysiological effects are beyond the scope of the book. There is only a passing reference to electrophoretically applied serotonin but most of the publications in this field have appeared since 1963. A good deal of space is devoted to drugs which release serotonin and to monoamine oxidase inhibitors. There is a brief reference to serotonin in mental disease and some discussion of its role in other pathological conditions. While the bibliography and appendices, which comprise nearly halfthebook, are extremely useful, the text is of rather less value. It is a pity that the book, which must have taken a long time to produce, could not have been more free of misprints. Furthermore, the whole of the text is characterised by extremely short paragraphs, many of which consist of only one sentence, and this is extremely irritating to the reader. However, as a source of information on serotonin all in one place it should be very useful. P. B. BRADLEY Birmingham (Great Britain) Brain Research, 5 (1967) 271