Journal of Psychopharmacology

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

SAGETRACK

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (OnlineFirst PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
0269881105057466v1
20/4/526    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Booij, L.
Right arrow Articles by Van der Does, A. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Booij, L.
Right arrow Articles by Van der Does, A. J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
First published on September 20, 2005, doi:10.1177/0269881105057466

Journal of Psychopharmacology 2006;20:526.

A more recent version of this article appeared on July 1, 2006

Article

Diet rich in {alpha}-lactalbumin improves memory in unmedicated recovered depressed patients and matched controls

Linda Booij1, Wendelien Merens1, C. Rob Markus2, A. J. Van der Does3*

1 Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.
2 Faculty of Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastrict, the Netherlands.
3 Department of Psychology, Leiden University and Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.


  Abstract

Depression is associated with reduced brain serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) function and with cognitive dysfunctions. A diet rich in {alpha}-lactalbumin protein has been found to increase the ratio tryptophan /large neutral amino acids (Trp/{Sigma}LNAA), and to improve cognitive functioning in individuals with high neuroticism scores. Since cognitive dysfunctions sometimes persist after remission of depression, the present study investigated the effects of {alpha}-lactalbumin-enriched diet on cognition in recovered depressed patients.

Twenty-three recovered depressed patients and 20 healthy matched controls without a history of depression consumed meals rich in {alpha}-lactalbumin or casein protein in a double-blind crossover design. Mood, cognitive function and plasma amino acids were assessed at both sessions before and after dietary intake.

Alpha-lactalbumin protein had no effect on mood, but improved abstract visual memory and impaired simple motor performance. These effects were independent of history of depression. Supplements of {alpha}-lactalbumin may be useful for nutrition research in relation to age- or disease-related memory decline. The present findings should be further examined in different (e.g. medicated) samples. The long-term effects of {alpha}-lactalbumin should also be investigated.

Key Words: serotonin, depression, cognition, memory, tryptophan, alpha-lactalbumin


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J PsychopharmacolHome page
H. Scrutton, A. Carbonnier, P. J. Cowen, and C. J. Harmer
Effects of {alpha}-lactalbumin on emotional processing in healthy women
J Psychopharmacol, July 1, 2007; 21(5): 519 - 524.
[Abstract] [PDF]