The influence of oral tryptophan on cortical evoked responses in normals and schizophrenics

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_42CD190E98F6
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
The influence of oral tryptophan on cortical evoked responses in normals and schizophrenics
Journal
J Neural Transm Suppl
Author(s)
Laurian Solomon, Grasset François, Steck Andreas, Baumann Pierre, Gaillard Jean-Michel
ISSN
0303-6995 (Print)
ISSN-L
0303-6995
Publication state
Published
Issued date
1979
Number
15
Pages
177-88
Language
english
Notes
Laurian, S
Grasset, F
Steck, A
Baumann, P
Gaillard, J M
eng
Austria
J Neural Transm Suppl. 1979;(15):177-88. doi: 10.1007/978-3-7091-2243-3_16.
Abstract
The cortical evoked responses to sensory stimulation were studied in order to evaluate the central effects of oral tryptophan in normals and schizophrenics. In the first study, seven volunteer male students were tested during four experimental sessions. Visual evoked responses to flashes were recorded at occiput and vertex, before and 1 1/2 hours after the ingestion of 35 mg/kg tryptophan in apple puree with 50 g glucose or placebo. Some significant modifications of evoked responses were observed after tryptophan ingestion: a decrease of amplitude and an increase of variability. The latencies were rather stable, presenting only minor modifications. From these results, corroborated by some data from literature, it may be supposed that tryptophan induces a decrease of arousal. In the second study, seven chronic schizophrenics and 6 volunteer controls were tested, using an analogous experimental design, however with some modifications: the tryptophan dose was increased to 50 mg/kg and administered in 200 ml of milk, instead of apple puree with glucose. The modifications of evoked responses recorded in the preceding study were no longer found. Probably, the substitution of milk for glucose resulted in an alteration of the transport of tryptophan across the blood-brain barrier. The blood parameters were rather similar in the two studies; therefore, the central effects of tryptophan did not parallel its blood levels.
Keywords
Administration, Oral, Brain/*physiology, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Electroencephalography, Evoked Potentials/*drug effects, Humans, Male, Schizophrenia/*physiopathology, Tryptophan/administration & dosage/*pharmacology, Vision, Ocular/physiology
Pubmed
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11/01/2021 11:34
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24/01/2021 6:26
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