Mechanisms of Serotonin Effects on Physical Performance: A Descriptive Review

It has been proven that both central and peripheral fatigue contributes to а decrease in physical performance. Physical activity causes biochemical changes in the body. One of the most important factors causing biochemical changes and leading to fatigue is the accumulation of extracellular serotonin in both the blood and the brain during exercise. It is a hormone whose concentration increases with physical activity. This paper describes the basic mechanisms of serotonin synthesis, its contradictory effects on motor neurons and its direct impact on the structure of muscle tissue. An extensive literature search was conducted among publications in the PubMed database for the period from its launch to 2022 using the query effects of serotonin on physical performance and the following keywords: serotonin, physical fatigue, physical performance, muscles. The subject search was expanded to obtain additional information and define common terms. As a result, 82 records were found, while additional 25 studies were selected manually, describing the effects of serotonin on physical performance both by the site of action and by the mechanisms of its formation. Selection was based on the healthy people and animals criterion, but was not limited by the language or type of publication. The results include article reviews, reports and abstracts of scientific papers. References to studies on the topic of interest in the works were considered to identify additional publications.