Abstract
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 depressionare predisposed to increased vulnerability to the adverse consequences
of serotonergic imbalance.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
March 29,
1999
Received in revised form:
February 26,
1999
Received:
October 28,
1998
Identification
Copyright
© 1999 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
