The impact of acute tryptophan depletion on attentional performance in adult patients with <scp>ADHD</scp>

Mette, Christian; Zimmermann, M.; Grabemann, Marco; Abdel‐Hamid, Mona; Uekermann, J.; Biskup, C.S.; Wiltfang, Jens; Zepf, Florian Daniel; Kis, Bernhard

doi:10.1111/acps.12090

Cited by 39 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 65 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…More recent studies demonstrate an inverse relationship between trait impulsivity and the acute tryptophan depletion effect on reactive aggression after low provocation in patients with adolescent and adult ADHD (Kotting et al 2013; Zimmermann et al 2012). While there seems to be a relationship between acute tryptophan depletion and attentional performance in adult patients with ADHD (Mette et al 2013), there is no such effect on verbal declarative memory in young patients with ADHD (Zepf et al 2013) and on processing affective prosody in male adults with ADHD (Grabemann et al 2013). …”

Section: Functional Neurochemistry Of Neurotransmitter Circuitry Systmentioning

confidence: 99%

The neurobiological link between OCD and ADHD

Brem

Grünblatt

Drechsler

et al. 2014

ADHD Atten Def Hyp Disord

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two of the most common neuropsychiatric diseases in paediatric populations. The high comorbidity of ADHD and OCD with each other, especially of ADHD in paediatric OCD, is well described. OCD and ADHD often follow a chronic course with persistent rates of at least 40–50 %. Family studies showed high heritability in ADHD and OCD, and some genetic findings showed similar variants for both disorders of the same pathogenetic mechanisms, whereas other genetic findings may differentiate between ADHD and OCD. Neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies suggest that partly similar executive functions are affected in both disorders. The deficits in the corresponding brain networks may be responsible for the perseverative, compulsive symptoms in OCD but also for the disinhibited and impulsive symptoms characterizing ADHD. This article reviews the current literature of neuroimaging, neurochemical circuitry, neuropsychological and genetic findings considering similarities as well as differences between OCD and ADHD.

show abstract

Section: Functional Neurochemistry Of Neurotransmitter Circuitry Systmentioning

confidence: 99%

The neurobiological link between OCD and ADHD

Brem

Grünblatt

Drechsler

et al. 2014

ADHD Atten Def Hyp Disord

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Tryptophan depletion, which causes reduction in brain 5-HT synthesis was found to impact aggression (vanPolier et al, 2014, Kotting et al, 2013, Zimmerman et al, 2013, Stadler et al, 2007 inattention (Zepf et al, 2010, Mette et al, 2013, behavioral inhibition , impulsivity domains of ADHD. We have summarized findings on tryptophan depletion effects and ADHD in Table 2.…”

Section: Tryptophan Depletion Studies In Adhdmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The impact of acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) on attention performance of adult male ADHD patients has been studied by orally administering a tryptophan-free amino acid mixture and carrying out a continuous performance test in the ATD group as well as control group on tryptophan balanced diet. Following a double blind study design it has been reported in ADHD-ATD group target/non-target discrimination ability and sustained attention is affected, which indicates that 5-HT neurotransmission is related to attention processing in adult ADHD (Mette et al, 2013).…”

Section: Inattentionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus ATD affect target/non-target discrimination. Mette C et al, 2013 15 young people with ADHD (7 boys, 8 girls), age 11.8+ 1.9 yrs To study impact of brain 5HT depletion on physiological arousal using electrodermal activity in relation to reactive aggression Double blind within subject repeated measures cross over ATD was not associated with altered physiological arousal, as indexed by electrodermal activity (EDA). Baseline aggression was negatively correlated with the mean ATD effect on EDA.…”

Section: Concluding Remarks and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Does serotonin deficit mediate susceptibility to ADHD?

Banerjee

Nandagopal

2015

Neurochemistry International

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…A recent issue of Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica included four papers that employed the acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) technique in patients (1)(2)(3)(4). These studies provided interesting insight into how low serotonin synthesis might influence measures of cognition, attention and aggression in young and adult patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Methodology and interpretation of acute tryptophan depletion studies

Young

2013

Acta Psychiatr Scand

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A recent issue of Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica included four papers that employed the acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) technique in patients (1-4). These studies provided interesting insight into how low serotonin synthesis might influence measures of cognition, attention and aggression in young and adult patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The studies raise two issues related to the methodology and interpretation of ATD studies. All four studies depleted tryptophan using a mixture of seven essential amino acids that lacked tryptophan. The amino acids induce protein synthesis and tryptophan levels fall as it is incorporated into protein. The mixture used did not contain histidine. As discussed in detail in a recent review (5), i) histidine is an essential amino acid, ii) in rodents variations in brain histidine levels have a greater effect on brain histamine synthesis than variations in tryptophan levels have on brain serotonin synthesis and iii) in humans acute histidine depletion with an amino acid mixture containing all the essential amino acids except for histidine lowers histidine levels and has cognitive effects. Thus, the mixture used in the studies may have resulted in decreases in both serotonin and histamine synthesis. The control mixture also contained no histidine and would have resulted in a decrease in histamine synthesis. Therefore, if there were no interaction between the effects of histidine and tryptophan depletion, the results would be valid. However, whether the effects of histidine and tryptophan depletion interact is not known. The amino acid mixture used suffers from a disadvantage not shared by other commonly used amino acid mixtures, and the lack of histidine in the mixtures was a limitation of the studies.Two of the studies found no effect of ATD. One of the papers (3) states 'ATD allows for the measurement of the influence of a real central nervous serotonergic dysfunction', while the other (1) concludes 'there is no clear evidence that short-term changes in central nervous serotonin function as induced by ATD contribute to the difficulties in processing affective prosody'. Thus, both imply that ATD is decreasing serotonin function. A decrease in function would mean that the decrease in serotonin synthesis is decreasing the release of serotonin onto postsynaptic receptors. As discussed in detail a recent review (5), there is no evidence that ATD does always decrease serotonin release. A decrease in serotonin release after ATD can be demonstrated in experimental animals, but the relevance of such animal studies to the far more complex human brain is uncertain. When ATD does have effects in humans, a decrease in serotonin release and function is usually the most plausible explanation. However, serotonin function is regulated differently in different brain areas, and because ATD decreases serotonin function in one brain area, as indicated by a particular effect that does not necessarily imply that there is a decline in serotonin function in other brain areas. T...

show abstract

The impact of acute tryptophan depletion on attentional performance in adult patients with ADHD

Abstract: The present preliminary results are indicative of the contribution of serotonergic neurotransmission to attentional processes in adults with ADHD.

Cited by 39 publications

References 65 publications

The neurobiological link between OCD and ADHD

The neurobiological link between OCD and ADHD

Does serotonin deficit mediate susceptibility to ADHD?

Methodology and interpretation of acute tryptophan depletion studies

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About