Serotonin and inhibitory response control: focusing on the role of 5-HT(1A) receptors

Disturbances in behavioral inhibition are key features in several neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Parkinson's disease and substance use disorders. Therefore, elucidating the neural correlates of inhibitory control processes is crucial for developing novel treatment strategies to ameliorate the symptomatology of these disorders and to improve the quality of life. The development of preclinical translational paradigms to study inhibitory control processes has greatly enhanced our neurobiological understanding of these cognitive processes. Over the last decades, emphasis has been mainly on monoamines including dopamine and serotonin and their contribution to behavioral inhibition. This short review will focus on the involvement of the serotonergic system, and in particular serotonin1A receptors, in inhibitory control processes.