Abstract
Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
BACKGROUND: Acute tryptophan (TRP) depletion was evaluated in healthy volunteers with or without a family history of major affective disorder (FH+ versus FH-). METHODS: Twenty-seven subjects (16 FH+, 11 FH-) received 100 g of an amino acid mixture with and without TRP according to a placebo-controlled, double-blind cross-over design and a diet devoid of TRP for the next 24 hours. RESULTS: The ratio TRP/large neutral amino acids declined to 22% of baseline values after 6 hours, and increased during the night reaching 85% of baseline after 24 hours. Overall, after 6 hours, TRP depletion lead to a lowering of mood, but after 24 hours, these changes were no longer detected. Mood changes and gastrointestinal side effects were significantly more evident in FH+ subjects than in FH- subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the hypothesis that subjects with a positive family history for depression are predisposed to increased vulnerability to the adverse consequences of serotonergic imbalance.
Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Controlled Clinical Trial
BACKGROUND: Acute tryptophan (TRP) depletion was evaluated in healthy volunteers with or without a family history of major affective disorder (FH+ versus FH-). METHODS: Twenty-seven subjects (16 FH+, 11 FH-) received 100 g of an amino acid mixture with and without TRP according to a placebo-controlled, double-blind cross-over design and a diet devoid of TRP for the next 24 hours. RESULTS: The ratio TRP/large neutral amino acids declined to 22% of baseline values after 6 hours, and increased during the night reaching 85% of baseline after 24 hours. Overall, after 6 hours, TRP depletion lead to a lowering of mood, but after 24 hours, these changes were no longer detected. Mood changes and gastrointestinal side effects were significantly more evident in FH+ subjects than in FH- subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the hypothesis that subjects with a positive family history for depression are predisposed to increased vulnerability to the adverse consequences of serotonergic imbalance.
Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Controlled Clinical Trial
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 489-497 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Biological Psychiatry |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 1999 |