Dietary aspartame with protein on plasma and brain amino acids, brain monoamines and behavior in rats

Aspartame (APM; L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester), was investigated for its ability to alter levels of the large neutral amino acids and monoamines in overnight fasted rats allowed to consume meals with or without protein for two hours. Additionally, the possible long term behavioral consequences of APM in 25% casein diets with or without 10% sucrose were determined. Acute APM ingestion increased both plasma and brain phenylalanine and tyrosine levels, but brain tryptophan levels were not altered regardless of dietary protein. Brain norepinephrine and dopamine levels were unaltered by any of the diet while serotonin levels were slightly increased when a protein-free diet was consumed. But APM and/or protein ingestion minimized this increase of brain serotonin levels as much as controls. Chronic APM ingestion failed to influence diurnal feeding patterns, meal size distributions, or diurnal patterns of spontaneous motor activity. The chronic ingestion of abuse doses of APM produced no significant chemical changes in brain capable of altering behavioral parameters believed to be controlled by monoamines in rats.