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21/5/519    most recent
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This version was published on July 1, 2007
Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 21, No. 5, 519-524 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0269881106075271
© 2007 British Association for Psychopharmacology

Effects of {alpha}-lactalbumin on emotional processing in healthy women

Helen Scrutton

University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford UK

Anne Carbonnier

University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford UK

Philip J. Cowen

University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford UK, phil.cowen{at}psych.ox.ac.uk

Catherine J. Harmer

Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford UK.

The synthesis of serotonin (5-HT) in the central nervous system is dependent on the avaiLability to the brain of its precursor amino acid, tryptophan (TRP). Recent studies suggest that {alpha}-lactalbumin, a whey-derived protein with a relatively high TRP content, increases plasma TRP and produces endocrine and cognitive changes consistent with facilitation of brain 5-HT function. In the present study we assessed the biochemical and cognitive effects of {alpha}-lactalbumin (40 g) in 28 healthy female subjects in a parallel group, placebo-controlled design. Relative to a casein-derived control protein, {alpha}-lactalbumin increased plasma TRP and the ratio of TRP to neutral amino acids. However, there was no effect on salivary cortisol secretion or tasks of emotional processing shown previously to be sensitive to pharmacological manipulation of 5-HT in healthy volunteers. The results suggest that {alpha}-lactalbumin produces a relatively modest increase in TRP availability which may not be sufficient to produce the changes in emotional processing seen with administration of pure TRP in healthy subjects. Further studies in subjects more vulnerable to stress are needed to assess the potential therapeutic effects of {alpha}-lactalbumin in clinical populations.

Key Words: serotonin • TRP • {alpha}-lactalbumin • emotional processing • cortisol


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