Branchey L, Branchey M, Shaw S, Lieber C S
Psychiatry Res. 1984 Jul;12(3):219-26. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(84)90027-1.
In an earlier study we found an association in alcoholic patients between depression and low ratios of tryptophan over amino acids sharing with it the same transport carrier into the brain. A decreased tryptophan ratio has been shown to be correlated with lower brain tryptophan and serotonin. Because it has been postulated that altered serotonin metabolism may be a highly significant contributing factor not only to depression but also to aggressive and suicidal behavior, we decided to assess the existence of possible associations between amino acid abnormalities and these behaviors in a population of alcoholics. We observed a significant association between histories of aggression and depression. In addition, depressed patients with a history of aggression were found to have the lowest tryptophan ratio values. These values differed significantly from those found in depressed patients with no aggression history and from those observed in patients with no history of aggression and depression. Two of the three suicide attempters in the study fell also in the group of patients with an aggression history. Our data suggest the existence of a subgroup of alcoholics with marked amino acid abnormalities at risk for manifestations of depression, suicide, and aggression.
在早期的一项研究中，我们发现酒精性患者中抑郁症与色氨酸与共用同一转运载体进入大脑的氨基酸的低比例之间存在关联。已表明色氨酸比例降低与较低的脑内色氨酸和血清素相关。由于据推测，血清素代谢改变可能不仅是抑郁症的一个非常重要的促成因素，也是攻击行为和自杀行为的重要促成因素，我们决定评估酗酒人群中氨基酸异常与这些行为之间可能存在的关联。我们观察到攻击史与抑郁症之间存在显著关联。此外，有攻击史的抑郁症患者的色氨酸比例值最低。这些值与无攻击史的抑郁症患者以及无攻击史和抑郁症的患者所观察到的值有显著差异。该研究中的三名自杀未遂者中有两人也属于有攻击史的患者组。我们的数据表明，存在一个酗酒亚组，其氨基酸明显异常，有出现抑郁症、自杀和攻击行为的风险。
