Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 29, 2026
Simultaneous Quantification of Selected Kynurenines Analyzed by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in Medium Collected from Cancer Cell Cultures
Published on: May 9, 2020
[The tryptophan depletion challenge: a review of methodology and results]
Virginie Roussel1, Sophie Tardieu, Joëlle Micallef
1CPCET et Pharmacologie Clinique, FRE 2109 CNRS Université de la Méditerranée, Institut de Neurosciences Physiologiques et Cognitives, Marseille, France.
Introduction:
This paper focuses on the methodology and behavioural results of the tryptophan depletion challenge.
Methods:
A Medline search (1985-2002) using the keywords 'tryptophan depletion' and 'mood' has been performed.
Results:
Rapid depletion is obtained by morning intake under fasting condition of a tryptophan-free amino-acid mixture. Subjects with a family history of mood disorders and depressed patients receiving serotoninergic drugs demonstrate a mood-lowering effect. However, these effects are limited or absent in normal volunteers and naive depressed patients.
Conclusion:
The tryptophan depletion challenge has largely contributed to the understanding of the physiopathology of depression. However, the mood response to acute tryptophan depletion challenge in healthy volunteers is not as sensitive as a 'depression model'.
More Related Videos
09:31PCR Mutagenesis, Cloning, Expression, Fast Protein Purification Protocols and Crystallization of the Wild Type and Mutant Forms of Tryptophan Synthase
Published on: September 26, 2020
07:05Behavioral Disturbances: An Innovative Approach to Monitor the Modulatory Effects of a Nutraceutical Diet
Published on: January 3, 2017