Does dietary tryptophan play a role in the control of convulsive activity?

The convulsive response to pentylenetetrazol was investigated in rats receiving different dietary tryptophan inputs. In the first experiment the animals were fed either a corn or a corn-supplemented diet. In the second one they received either a control diet supplemented with tryptophan, a low-protein/high-carbohydrate diet, or a low-protein/high-carbohydrate tryptophan-supplemented diet. The control groups for both experiments were fed a diet containing 22% milk protein. The corn diet facilitated seizures; the low-protein/high-carbohydrate/tryptophan diet prevented seizures. These results suggest that the brain serotonin levels determined by dietary tryptophan, or tryptophan by itself, could play a role in the convulsive response.