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The relationships between the availability ofL-tryptophan to the brain, the spontaneous HPA-axis activity, and the HPA-axis responses to dexamethasone in depressed patients

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Summary

The present study was conducted in order to investigate the negative relationships between measures of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis activity and the availability of L-tryptophan (L-TRP) to the brain in depressive patients. To this end we measured the following: plasma total L-TRP, the ratio of L-TRP to the sum of competing amino acids (CAA), free urinary cortisol (UFC) excretion in 24 hr urine samples, and the 8 a.m. postdexamethasone cortisol levels. We found that the availability of L-TRP to the brain was significantly negatively correlated with the postdexamethasone cortisol values. Cortisol nonsuppressors averaged significantly lower L-TRP and L-TRP/CAA values compared to suppressors. No significant relationship was established between the availability of L-TRP and UFC excretion. It is concluded that the availability of L-TRP is related to the actual alterations in cortisol induced by dexamethasone rather than with the spontaneous baseline HPA-axis activity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychiatric Center, St-Josef, Munsterbilzen, Belgium

    M. Maes, B. Minner & E. Suy

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital, Wilrijkstraat 10, Edegem, Belgium

    M. Maes

Authors
  1. M. Maes
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  2. B. Minner
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  3. E. Suy
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Maes, M., Minner, B. & Suy, E. The relationships between the availability ofL-tryptophan to the brain, the spontaneous HPA-axis activity, and the HPA-axis responses to dexamethasone in depressed patients. Amino Acids 1, 57–65 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00808091

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00808091

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