Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Dr Richard Porter, Dr Peter GallagherORCiD, Professor John O'Brien
Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.
Objective: Previous studies show that acute tryptophan depletion (ATD), by administration of an amino acid drink lacking tryptophan, can produce clinically significant depressive symptoms in subjects who have recovered from major depression. This is more likely in female patients who have had suicidal ideation, recurrent depression, and treatment with specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These risk factors are frequent in older recovered depressed people. The authors investigated the effects of ATD on mood and cognitive functioning in this group. Methods: Sixteen recovered depressed (RD) subjects and 17 healthy-comparison subjects, over 60 years old, participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study involving administration of a tryptophan-depleting and a placebo drink. Mood ratings scales were administered at baseline and at 4 and 7 hours post-drink on each test day. A battery of neuropsychological tests, including the modified Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was administered between 4 and 6 hours post-drink. Results: Depletion of plasma free tryptophan was 71% at 4 and 7 hours after the active drink. There was no evidence of mood change at any time in either group. On the MMSE, however, the ATD/RD group showed a significant decrease compared with placebo. Conclusions: There was no evidence of mood disturbance during ATD in any subject. This may imply less sensitivity to acute disturbance of the 5HT system than in younger recovered patients. © 2005 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.
Author(s): Porter RJ, Phipps AJ, Gallagher P, Scott A, Stevenson PS, O'Brien JT
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Year: 2005
Volume: 13
Issue: 7
Pages: 607-615
Print publication date: 01/01/2005
ISSN (print): 1064-7481
ISSN (electronic): 1545-7214
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajgp.13.7.607
DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajgp.13.7.607
PubMed id: 16009737
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
