BACKGROUND: Efforts to model putative serotonergic deficits associated with affective disorders have frequently involved acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) as a manipulation strategy aimed at lowering brain serotonin synthesis. In an attempt to widen the scope of the measurement probes used in these investigations, the central actions of ATD and a subsequent dose of fenfluramine were examined via utilization of quantitative electroencephalography (EEG) and mood ratings. METHODS: Electroencephalograms (EEG) and subjective mood ratings were assessed in 28 healthy men before and after double-blind ingestion of a tryptophan-depleting (T-) amino acid mixture, or a nutritionally balanced (B) amino acid mixture containing tryptophan, and again after a single-blind oral dose of D,L-fenfluramine hydrochloride (60 mg). RESULTS: Compared to the B mixture, the T- mixture reduced total plasma tryptophan by more than 75% 5 hours after ingestion. Tryptophan depletion was associated with a modest lowering of mood and a slowing of EEG as indicated by increases in delta amplitude. Fenfluramine caused no change in mood but increased fast wave (beta) activity in anterior recordings when administered after the T-, but not after the B mixture. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative EEG measurements may be a promising method for studying the central mechanisms underlying serotonin-mediated changes in mood and behavior.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Efforts to model putative serotonergic deficits associated with affective disorders have frequently involved acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) as a manipulation strategy aimed at lowering brain serotonin synthesis. In an attempt to widen the scope of the measurement probes used in these investigations, the central actions of ATD and a subsequent dose of fenfluramine were examined via utilization of quantitative electroencephalography (EEG) and mood ratings. METHODS: Electroencephalograms (EEG) and subjective mood ratings were assessed in 28 healthy men before and after double-blind ingestion of a tryptophan-depleting (T-) amino acid mixture, or a nutritionally balanced (B) amino acid mixture containing tryptophan, and again after a single-blind oral dose of D,L-fenfluramine hydrochloride (60 mg). RESULTS: Compared to the B mixture, the T- mixture reduced total plasma tryptophan by more than 75% 5 hours after ingestion. Tryptophan depletion was associated with a modest lowering of mood and a slowing of EEG as indicated by increases in delta amplitude. Fenfluramine caused no change in mood but increased fast wave (beta) activity in anterior recordings when administered after the T-, but not after the B mixture. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative EEG measurements may be a promising method for studying the central mechanisms underlying serotonin-mediated changes in mood and behavior.
Authors: Donald M Dougherty; Dawn M Marsh-Richard; Charles W Mathias; Ashley J Hood; Merideth A Addicott; F Gerard Moeller; Christopher J Morgan; Abdulla A-B Badawy Journal: Psychopharmacology (Berl) Date: 2008-05-02 Impact factor: 4.530
Authors: Eóin N Molloy; Karsten Mueller; Nathalie Beinhölzl; Maria Blöchl; Fabian A Piecha; André Pampel; Christopher J Steele; Ulrike Scharrer; Gergana Zheleva; Ralf Regenthal; Bernhard Sehm; Vadim V Nikulin; Harald E Möller; Arno Villringer; Julia Sacher Journal: J Cereb Blood Flow Metab Date: 2020-11-04 Impact factor: 6.200