This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 0269881107081531v1 22/6/653    most recent References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Merens, W. Articles by van der Does, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Merens, W. Articles by van der Does, A. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The effects of experimentally lowered serotonin function on emotional information processing and memory in remitted depressed patients

Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands, wendelienmerens{at}hotmail.com

L. Booij

Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

PM Judith Haffmans

Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands, Psychomedical Center Parnassia, The Hague, The Netherlands

AJW van der Does

Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands, Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

It has been well documented that acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) induces symptoms in remitted depressed patients treated with an SSRI. ATD also has effects on cognition, both in patients and in healthy samples. The exact nature of ATD-induced cognitive changes in depression remains unclear. It is also unclear whether cognitive effects can be induced through partial ('low-dose') depletion. The aim of this study is to investigate the differential effects of low-dose and high-dose ATD on emotional information processing and mood in remitted depressed patients.

Eighteen remitted depressed patients received high-dose and low-dose ATD in a randomized, double-blind, within-subjects crossover design. Mood was assessed before and after administration of the depletion drink. Five hours after administration, patients conducted tests measuring neutral and emotional information processing.

High-dose ATD increased depressive symptoms and induced a temporary depressive 'relapse' in half of the patients. High-dose ATD also decreased the recognition of fear and impaired learning and memory retrieval. The impaired learning occurred only in mood-responders. Low-dose ATD had no effects on mood but speeded the recognition of facial expressions of disgust. Accurate recognition of sad faces at baseline was associated with mood response to ATD.

High-dose ATD leads to changes in memory and in the recognition of negative facial expressions in SSRI-treated remitted depressed patients. The effect of low-dose ATD on mood and cognition seems to be quite limited. Emotional information processing at baseline predicts mood-response to ATD.

This version was published on August 1, 2008

Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 22, No. 6, 653-662 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0269881107081531


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?