ABSTRACT
The hypothesis on the involvement of 5–HT in schizophrenia is not new, but dates from the beginning of the 50’s. In 1947 Stoll reported the similarity between psychosis induced by LSD and that occurring in schizophrenia. Several years later Gaddum et al. (1953) described the 5–HT antagonistic properties of LSD which was followed shortly thereafter by a publication by Woolley and Shaw (1954) ending as follows: “In summary, the suggestions we wish to make are the following: (1) serotonin probably plays a role in maintaining normal mental processes; (2) metabolically induced deficiency of serotonin may contribute to the production of some mental disorders; (3) serotonin or a long–acting derivative of it may prove capable of alleviating disorders similar to schizophrenia”. This is truly a remarkable conclusion for a time when 5–HT was described as a hormone and antagonists were called anti–metabolites.
