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Tryptophan Metabolism in Affective Psychoses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

C. L. Cazzullo ,
A. Mangoni  and
G. Mascherpa
C. L. Cazzullo
Affiliation:
University of Milan Medical School, Milan, Italy
A. Mangoni
Affiliation:
University of Milan Medical School, Milan, Italy
G. Mascherpa
Affiliation:
University of Milan Medical School, Milan, Italy
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Extract

Tryptophan has attracted attention during recent years for the possible role played by some of its metabolites in the aetiology and treatment of psychiatric disorders. Of these metabolites, serotonin has received special attention and considerable work has been carried out in order to elucidate its physiological and pharmacological actions. Studies from animal experiments are thus available on the function of serotonin in nervous activity (Marrazzi and Hart, 1955; Brodie et al., 1955; Pletscher et al., 1956; Welsh, 1957), but the results obtained thus far in psychiatric patients are uncertain. Recent researches in the affective psychoses (Burgermeister et al., 1963) did not reveal significant differences between patients and normal controls in the urinary output of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) before or after an oral 5-hydroxytryptophan load.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 112 , Issue 483 , February 1966 , pp. 157 - 162
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1966 

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