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Effect of Tryptophan Depletion on Mood in Male and Female Volunteers: A Pilot Study
Author(s) -
SMITH K. A.,
CLIFFORD E. M.,
HOCKNEY R. A.,
CLARK D. M.,
COWEN P. J.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1077(199703/04)12:2<111::aid-hup846>3.0.co;2-m
Subject(s) - mood , crossover study , tryptophan , placebo , psychology , medicine , profile of mood states , endocrinology , psychiatry , clinical psychology , chemistry , biochemistry , alternative medicine , amino acid , pathology
We studied 12 healthy subjects, six males and six females, using the technique of tryptophan depletion in a double‐blind placebo controlled crossover design. Subjects rated their subjective mood and also underwent a mood induction procedure. The tryptophan free mixture significantly lowered plasma total and free tryptophan at +5 h. After the tryptophan‐free mixture, subjective ratings of mood fell in the females but not in the males. Whilst the mood induction procedure was effective at lowering mood, it did not have any greater effect on the day of tryptophan depletion in either women or men. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.