What’s Old is New

Abstract

As we welcome 2013, we find ourselves in that familiar place reflecting on the past, yet looking forward to the future. The January issue of ACS Chemical Neuroscience provides a number of vantage points for contemplation in this regard. Contributions for this issue are from participants of the Serotonin Club Meeting held in Montpellier, France in July 2012, the 25th anniversary of this organization. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) is an important signaling molecule, which acts as a neurotransmitter, neuromodulator, and neurohormone. It serves many important functions in the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as in the gastrointestinal, immune, cardiovascular, respiratory, and reproductive systems, and in bone and placenta.1,2,5,8,9 Although serotonin is highly pleiotropic, it is most well-known in its roles modulating mood and anxiety, and as a major target of widely prescribed serotonin reuptake inhibiting antidepressants, for example, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, and Lexapro. In addition to the overwhelming response of the meeting participants, this issue marks a turning point for the Serotonin Club. Commemorating this anniversary, founders, councilors, and members recently voted to update the name of the Club to the “International Society for Serotonin Research,” reflecting its position as a highly influential scientific society. Much fondness remains for the Serotonin Club moniker and all it represents in terms of this group’s rich history and development. We are indebted to original Club members, Paul Vanoutte,11 Richard Green, and Charles Marsden,7 for their contributions to this issue, which include Viewpoints leveraging their wisdom and expertise. The issue also includes authoritative Viewpoints from Rodrigo Andrade and Samir Haj-Dahmane,3 Francesc Artigas,4 Lynette Daws and colleagues,6 and Dennis Murphy and co-workers.10 Each of these Viewpoints maps the history of serotonin research and charts the future. At the other end of the spectrum, the issue also features contributions from some of the Club’s youngest members. The Club remains committed to open membership and the development of young scientists, who are undoubtedly the future of serotonin research. One of the highlights of the Montpellier meeting was the “Pioneers and Prodigies” session, which featured invited talks from young travel award winners (Figure ​(Figure1)1) punctuated by commentary from venerable members. Figure 1 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Young Investigator Travel Awardees. Travel awardees attended the 2012 Meeting of the Serotonin Club, held at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France. Awardees comprised an international ... Papers published in this issue serve to illustrate the transition to the New Year and with it new ideas. While serotonin is one of the most investigated transmitters (>120 000 PubMed citations), research on serotonin continues to elucidate new information of importance to understanding this neurotransmitter system’s roles in basic physiology, disease processes, and treatments. Moreover, these findings have wide ranging implications for new concepts in receptor and transporter mechanisms, and avenues for therapeutic development. The serotonin system continues to serve as a model system to stimulate advances in knowledge of physiology and nervous system function. The year 2013 marks the fourth year of publication for ACS Chemical Neuroscience. The year 2012 was one of tremendous growth for the journal reflected by a doubling of submissions from 2011 and a steady rise in the quality of submissions. This special issue represents the largest issue of ACS Chemical Neuroscience to date. We hope you will enjoy its panorama of Viewpoints, Letters, Articles, and Reviews. We at ACS Chemical Neuroscience wish you and yours the best for a happy and productive New Year. We would also like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to all of our authors and reviewers for their contributions to the journal and to our readers. We anticipate strong growth and impact for ACS Chemical Neuroscience in 2013. We look forward to continued influence in the worlds of chemistry, neuroscience, and their nexus.