Re: Can serotonin syndrome cause brain damage?

I searched PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/) and could not find 
any reports demonstrating that the serotonin syndrome, a potentially fatal 
condition that can be produced by several drugs, most notably the 
irreversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase A and B and serotonin reuptake 
inhibitors (SSRIs), causes irreversible brain damage . However, this does 
not mean that it does not occur, only that it may not have been reported 
(or that I didn't search with the correct terms).

I did find two pieces of evidence that SUGGEST that damage may occur. 
First, d-fenfluramine, a serotonin reuptake inhibitor/releaser that can 
elicit clinical symptoms resembling the serotonin syndrome,  produces 
neuronal degeneration under certain conditions (REFERENCE 1).  Second, MDMA 
("Ecstasy", 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), which can produce the 
serotonin syndrome, is neurotoxic (REFERENCE 2).

Finally, if irreversible damage does occur in humnas, it may only occur in 
a few instances, as symptoms disappear in most cases upon removal of the 
offending drug (REFERENCE 3).


REFERENCES
1.   Schmued, L. et al. (1999) Toxicol Sci. 48(1), 100-106
 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?
cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10330689&dopt=Abstract



2.   Green, A.R. et al. (1995) Psychopharmacology 119, 247-260.
 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?
cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7675958&dopt=Abstract



3. Lejoyeux, M. et al. (1995)  Encephale 21, 537-543.
 http://www.biopsychiatry.com/sersynd.htm