None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the first-line treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder but their mechanism of action is unclear. Though an effect on stress resilience is postulated Serotonin helps regulate stress responses in other anxiety disorders. The main objective of this study is to examine the role of serotonin in resilience to trauma-related exposure through tryptophan depletion paradigm. Our main hypothesis hypothesis is that exposure to trauma-related stimuli leads to greater subjective and physiological responses under acute tryptophan depletion than under control conditions.
Interventions
Acute tryptophan depletion through the ingestion of a amino acid mixture without triptophan (100g), which stimulates the liver to produce proteins and leads to competition to cross the blood-brain barrier. This mixture is administered only twice: in the morning of the test day and in the morning of the control day (both at 9.30 a.m.). The mixture was orally administered.
Its effects are rapidly reversed with reinstatement of the normal alimentation so the week between test and control procedures
Acute tryptophan depletion through the ingestion of a amino acid mixture without triptophan (100g), which stimulates the liver to produce proteins and leads to competition to cross the blood-brain barrier. This mixture is administered only twice: in the morning of the test day and in the morning of the control day (both at 9.30 a.m.). The mixture was orally administered. Its effects are rapidly reversed with reinstatement of the normal alimentation so the week between test and control procedures functions as wash-out period.
Sponsors
Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Crossover
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Blinded (masking used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Posttraumatic stress disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria; make good response to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (cllinical dose ajusted)
Exclusion criteria
Comorbid bipolar disirder, psychotic disorder, substance misuse disorder, major madical condition and (or) the use of other psychiatric medication
Outcome results
None listed