%0 Journal Article
%T Functional Change of Brain Serotonergic Activity and Free Tryptophan in the Plasma of Depressed Women
%A Felipe V¨¢zquez-Estupi£¿an
%A Roc¨ªo Herrera-M¨¢rquez
%A Jos¨¦ Antonio Mondrag¨®n-Herrera
%A Guillermina Lara-P¨¦rez
%A Gabriel Manjarrez-Guti¨¦rrez
%J Open Journal of Depression
%P 5-15
%@ 2169-9674
%D 2019
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/ojd.2019.81002
%X The main objective was to show the decrement of serotoninergic brain activity in depressed women, through the analyses of the slope amplitude of N1/P2 components of the auditory-evoked potentials (AEP), and the measurement of the L-tryptophan free fraction in plasma (FFT). This cross-sectional study was carried out in 60 women, 30 depressed and 30 normal controls. Both groups were measured FFT, glucose, and neutral amino acids (NAA) levels; besides performing AEP to analyses the N1/P2 slope amplitude. It was found a lengthening in the slope amplitude of N1/P2 components of AEP in the group of depressed women, and despite that the level of FFT was low, there were no changes between bound fraction and the total L-Trp. The former suggests a decrease in serotonergic brain activity in the group of depressed women. Otherwise, since the auditory cortex response to sound is regulated by serotonergic innervation, it was expected a change in the behavior of AEP in the group of depressed patients. Thus, the slope amplitude of N1/P2 components of the AEP and the measurement of FFT have proved to be a good clinical indicators of the serotonergic neurotransmission state in the brain of depressed patients, and in another clinical conditions where brain serotonin is involved.
%K Depression
%K Auditory-Evoked Potential (N1/P2) Component
%K Brain
%K Serotonin
%K L-Tryptophan
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=89968