National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2012 Aug 1;124(3):200-6. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.01.006. Epub 2012 Feb 8.
Alcohol cues can precipitate the desire to drink and cause relapse in recovering alcohol-dependent patients. Serotonin and dopamine may play a role in alcohol cue-induced craving. Acute combined tryptophan (Trp), tyrosine (Tyr), and phenylalanine (Phe) depletion (CMD) in the diet attenuates the synthesis of serotonin and dopamine in the human brain. However, no study of the effects of acute CMD has been previously conducted. Therefore, we investigated whether the attenuation of serotonin and dopamine synthesis changes cue-induced alcohol craving in recently abstinent alcoholics.
In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design, 12 male patients who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, criteria for alcohol dependence were divided into two conditions: (1) monoamine depletion (i.e., consumption of a concentrated amino acid beverage that resulted in a rapid and significant decrease in plasma-free Tyr/Phe/Trp) and (2) balanced condition (i.e., consumption of a similar beverage that contained Tyr/Phe/Trp). The participants were scheduled for two experimental sessions, with an interval of ≥7 days. The cue-induced craving test session was conducted 6h after each amino acid beverage administration. Drinking urge, blood pressure, heart rate, working memory, and attention/psychomotor performance were assessed before and after administration.
Compared with the balanced condition, the monoamine depletion condition significantly increased drinking intention/desire and diastolic blood pressure. Cognitive performance was not different between the two conditions.
Acute combined serotonin and dopamine depletion may increase drinking intention/desire and diastolic blood pressure without influencing cognitive function.
酒精线索可引发饮酒欲望，并导致恢复期酒精依赖患者复发。血清素和多巴胺可能在酒精线索诱发的渴求中发挥作用。饮食中急性联合色氨酸（Trp）、酪氨酸（Tyr）和苯丙氨酸（Phe）耗竭（CMD）可减弱人脑内血清素和多巴胺的合成。然而，此前尚未进行急性 CMD 影响的研究。因此，我们研究了急性 CMD 是否会改变近期戒酒的酒精依赖者对线索诱发的酒精渴求。
在这项双盲、随机、安慰剂对照、交叉设计的研究中，12 名符合《精神障碍诊断与统计手册》第 4 版酒精依赖标准的男性患者分为两种情况：（1）单胺耗竭（即，摄入浓缩氨基酸饮料，导致血浆游离 Tyr/Phe/Trp 迅速显著下降）和（2）平衡条件（即，摄入含有 Tyr/Phe/Trp 的类似饮料）。参与者计划进行两次实验，间隔≥7 天。在每次氨基酸饮料给药后 6 小时进行线索诱发的渴求测试。给药前后评估饮酒欲望、血压、心率、工作记忆和注意力/精神运动表现。
与平衡条件相比，单胺耗竭条件显著增加了饮酒意图/欲望和舒张压。两种条件下的认知表现无差异。
急性联合血清素和多巴胺耗竭可能会增加饮酒意图/欲望和舒张压，而不影响认知功能。
