Status:
COMPLETED
Investigating the Role of Serotonin in Emotional Processing Through the Use of Tryptophan Depletion
Lead Sponsor:
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Conditions:
Healthy
Eligibility:
All Genders
20-50 years
Brief Summary
This study will examine the role of serotonin function in the brain. Serotonin, one of the brain's natural chemicals, connects with receptors on brain cells to regulate emotion, anxiety, sleep, stress...
Detailed Description
Objective The goal of this protocol is to use a targeted serotonergic manipulation \[acute tryptophan depletion (ATD)\] and specific neurocognitive and neuroimaging paradigms to consider the role of ...
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion
- INCLUSION CRITERIA:
- Age: Participants will be males and females, 20-50 years of age.
- IQ: IQ, as measured by 4 subscales from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R), must be greater than 80.
- Participants will be able to comprehend the purpose and procedures of the study. They will be able to provide written, informed consent for all study procedures.
- EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
- Psychiatric history: Participants will be assessed using DSM-IV criteria via standardized psychiatric interviews conducted by trained examiners (SCID). All participants will be free of any current or past major affective disorder, psychotic disorder, substance dependence, anorexia nervosa or bulimia. All participants will be free of any current anxiety disorders with the exception of specific phobias and free of current somatoform disorders. In addition, participants with a first degree relative with major depressive disorder will be excluded.
- Severe acute and chronic medical illnesses (e.g., cardiac disease, diabetes, epilepsy).
- CNS disease: History of brain abnormalities (e.g., neoplasms, subarachnoid cysts), cerebrovascular disease, infectious disease (e.g., abscess), or other neurological disease, or history of head trauma (defined as loss of consciousness greater than 3 min).
- Currently on any regular medication that would interfere with study results (with exception of contraceptive pill).
- Current use of psychotropic medication or benzodiazepine
- Currently breast feeding or pregnant (as documented by pregnancy testing done within 24 hr of the study starting)
- Subjects who are lactose intolerant will be excluded as the placebo capsules contain lactose. Also, those subjects who cannot consume the diets provided by metabolic nutrition on the study day will be excluded.
- ADDITIONAL EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR fMRI STUDIES:
- Metal or electronic objects: Metal plates, certain types of dental braces, cardiac pacemakers, etc., that are sensitive to electromagnetic fields contraindicate MRI scans.
- Claustrophobia: participants will be questioned about potential discomfort in being in an enclosed space, such as an MRI scanner.
Exclusion
Key Trial Info
Start Date :
August 31 2004
Trial Type :
OBSERVATIONAL
Allocation :
ACTUAL
End Date :
September 17 2012
Estimated Enrollment :
91 Patients enrolled
Trial Details
Trial ID
NCT00090831
Start Date
August 31 2004
End Date
September 17 2012
Last Update
December 3 2019
Active Locations (1)
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1
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892