Coined in 1948 from Latin serum (blood fluid) and Greek tonos (tension) because it was found in blood serum and affected vascular tone
A neurotransmitter involved in regulating mood, sleep, appetite, and various physiological functions
Coined from 'sero-' (from Latin 'serum' meaning whey or watery fluid, referring to blood serum where the compound was first identified) and '-tonin' (from Greek 'tonos' meaning tension or tone, because the substance was discovered through its ability to affect vascular tone, i.e., blood vessel constriction). The compound was isolated in 1948 by Maurice Rapport, Arda Green, and Irvine Page at the Cleveland Clinic, who were investigating a vasoconstrictor substance in blood serum. Key roots: serum (Latin: "whey, watery
About 90 percent of the body's serotonin is produced in the gut, not the brain. The researchers who discovered it in 1948 had no idea it functioned as a neurotransmitter — they were simply looking for the mystery substance in blood serum that caused blood vessels to constrict. Its role in mood regulation was not understood until the 1960s.