% IMPORTANT: The following is UTF-8 encoded. This means that in the presence
% of non-ASCII characters, it will not work with BibTeX 0.99 or older.
% Instead, you should use an up-to-date BibTeX implementation like “bibtex8” or
% “biber”.
@ARTICLE{Zimmermann:201935,
author = {Zimmermann, Marco and Grabemann, Marco and Mette, Christian
and Abdel-Hamid, Mona and Ueckermann, Jennifer and Kraemer,
Markus and Wiltfang, Jens and Kis, Bernhard and Zepf,
Florian Daniel},
title = {{T}he {E}ffects of {A}cute {T}ryptophan {D}epletion on
{R}eactive {A}ggression in {A}dults with
{A}ttention-{D}eficit/{H}yperactivity {D}isorder ({ADHD})
and {H}ealthy {C}ontrols},
journal = {PLoS one},
volume = {7},
number = {3},
issn = {1932-6203},
address = {Lawrence, Kan.},
publisher = {PLoS},
reportid = {FZJ-2015-04225},
pages = {e32023 -},
year = {2012},
abstract = {BackgroundThe neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) has been
linked to the underlying neurobiology of aggressive
behavior, particularly with evidence from studies in animals
and humans. However, the underlying neurobiology of
aggression remains unclear in the context of
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a disorder
known to be associated with aggression and impulsivity. We
investigated the effects of acute tryptophan depletion
(ATD), and the resulting diminished central nervous
serotonergic neurotransmission, on reactive aggression in
healthy controls and adults with ADHD.Methodology/Principal
FindingsTwenty male patients with ADHD and twenty healthy
male controls were subjected to ATD with an amino acid (AA)
beverage that lacked tryptophan (TRP, the physiological
precursor of 5-HT) and a TRP-balanced AA beverage (BAL) in a
double-blind, within-subject crossover-study over two study
days. We assessed reactive aggression 3.25 hours after
ATD/BAL intake using a point-subtraction aggression game
(PSAG) in which participants played for points against a
fictitious opponent. Point subtraction was taken as a
measure for reactive aggression. Lowered rates of reactive
aggression were found in the ADHD group under ATD after low
provocation (LP), with controls showing the opposite effect.
In patients with ADHD, trait-impulsivity was negatively
correlated with the ATD effect on reactive aggression after
LP. Statistical power was limited due to large standard
deviations observed in the data on point subtraction, which
may limit the use of this particular paradigm in adults with
ADHD.Conclusions/SignificanceTogether with previous
findings, the data provide preliminary evidence of an
inverse association between trait-impulsivity and the ATD
effect on reactive aggression after LP (as assessed by the
PSAG) in patients with ADHD and that this relationship can
be found in both adolescents and adults. Because of limited
statistical power larger sample sizes are needed to find
main effects of ATD/BAL administration on reactive
aggression in adults with ADHD.},
cin = {INM-3 / JARA-BRAIN},
ddc = {500},
cid = {I:(DE-Juel1)INM-3-20090406 / $I:(DE-82)080010_20140620$},
pnm = {333 - Pathophysiological Mechanisms of Neurological and
Psychiatric Diseases (POF2-333)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF2-333},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
UT = {WOS:000303198600014},
pubmed = {pmid:22431971},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0032023},
url = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/201935},
}