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Tryptophan depletion during continuous CSF sampling in healthy human subjects

L L Carpenter¹, G M Anderson, G H Pelton

¹Butler Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, RI 02906, USA.

Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology

|June 3, 1998

Summary

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Tryptophan depletion significantly lowered plasma and cerebrospinal fluid tryptophan. This suggests reduced serotonin turnover in the brain, impacting mood and behavior research.

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Biochemistry

Background:

The tryptophan depletion paradigm is used to study mood and behavior by lowering serotonin.
This method assumes a decrease in brain serotonin (5-HT) levels corresponds to lowered plasma tryptophan (TRP).

Purpose of the Study:

To verify if central TRP and 5-HT levels decrease during standard TRP depletion in healthy adults.
To measure changes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) TRP and 5-HIAA, a 5-HT metabolite.

Main Methods:

Healthy adults consumed a low-TRP diet and TRP-free amino acid drink.
Continuous CSF sampling via lumbar catheter for 13.5 hours.
Simultaneous plasma sampling to correlate central and peripheral TRP levels.

Main Results:

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CSF TRP and plasma TRP levels significantly decreased (92% and 85% respectively).

CSF TRP nadirs occurred hours after plasma nadirs.

CSF 5-HIAA showed a modest decrease (mean 31%), with levels lowest 8-12 hours post-drink.

Conclusions:

TRP depletion effectively lowers central TRP levels.
The method leads to a notable reduction in central serotonin turnover, supporting its use in mood and behavior studies.