Serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2A (5-HT2A receptor), Serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2C (5-HT2C receptor), Dopamine receptor D2 (5-HT2A, 5-HT2C, D2)

Serotonin 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors, and the Dopamine D2 receptor, are G protein-coupled receptors expressed in the central nervous system and peripheral tissues, each binding their respective neurotransmitters (serotonin or dopamine) to mediate key behavioral, cognitive, and physiological processes. The 5-HT2A receptor signals primarily via the phospholipase C pathway and is implicated in cognition, mood, perception, and the therapeutic and psychedelic effects of many drugs. The 5-HT2C receptor is closely related and is involved in mood, appetite, and neuroendocrine regulation. The Dopamine D2 receptor is a principal mediator of dopaminergic signaling, essential for motor control, reward, and psychosis, and is the primary target of most antipsychotic medications. Each receptor is the subject of intense pharmacological interest, with drugs acting as antagonists, agonists, or partial agonists to modulate their effects in psychiatric and neurological disease[1][4][5][6][8].

Other names

Serotonin receptor 2A5-HT2ARHTR2ASerotonin receptor 2CHTR2CDopamine D2 receptorD2RDRD2

Antagonists/inverse agonists block receptor-mediated signaling (antipsychotic and antidepressant properties). Agonists stimulate receptor signaling, leading to altered neurotransmission and sometimes hallucinogenic effects. Partial agonists modulate activity without full activation (D2 and 5-HT2A/C).