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Rationale: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric disorder whose onset, severity, and duration are influenced by interpersonal factors. The serotonin system is known to influence MDD risk. Recent research has suggested that serotonin may also play a role in regulating social behaviour. Therefore, it would be interesting to study the role of serotonin in responses to social stimuli in individuals at risk for MDD.
Objective: This project aims to study how changes in serotonin alter interpersonal functioning in adults with or without a first degree family member diagnosed with MDD. The primary goal is to investigate the effect of experimentally lowered brain serotonin levels on empathic accuracy. Secondary goals are to determine how this manipulation influences verbal and non-verbal communication, cardiovascular function in a social context, and mood. An exploratory goal is to investigate how these outcomes are related to genes thought to be involved in MDD.
see summary
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| tryptophan depletion first day | Experimental | tryptophan depletion on the first day. on the other day participants receive placebo. |
|
| tryptophan depletion on day 2 | Experimental | tryptophan depletion on the second day. on the first day participants receive placebo. |
|
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tryptophan depletion | Dietary Supplement | tryptophan depletion involves the ingestion of an amino acid mixture that is devoid of tryptophan. on the other day participants receive placebo, being the same mixture but including tryptophan |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Empathic Accuracy | Empathic Accuracy is assessed with a computer task, approximately 6 hrs after completion of the amino acid mixture | 45 minutes |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral mimicry | Behavioral mimicry is assessed in two experiments. In the first experiment, mimicry of a person in a video is assessed. In a second experiment mimicry is assessed in response to the investigators mannerisms | 10 minutes |
| Emotional Prosody (EP) |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Serotonin transporter polymorphism | From one of the blood samples collected we will isolate whole blood for DNA extraction in order to analyse the serotonin transporter polymorphism | 1 day |
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Marije aan het Rot, Dr. | University of Groningen | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Center Psychiatry | Groningen | Provincie Groningen | 9713 GZ | Netherlands |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26462806 | Derived | Hogenelst K, Schoevers RA, Kema IP, Sweep FC, aan het Rot M. Empathic accuracy and oxytocin after tryptophan depletion in adults at risk for depression. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2016 Jan;233(1):111-20. doi: 10.1007/s00213-015-4093-9. |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D012919 | Social Behavior |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D001519 | Behavior |
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EP is assessed in two experiments. In the first experiment, EP is assessed in response to a video. In a second experiment EP is assessed in a dyad with the investigator. |
| 10 minutes |
| blood | blood is analysed for levels of tryptophan, oxytocin and cortisol | 10 minutes |
| heart rate variability | hrv is measured in response to emotional video clips | 1 hour |