Graphical abstract Excessive dieting‐induced nutritional deficiency of tryptophan : Effects on behavior and efficacy of antipsychotic and antidepressant medication .
& NA ; A growing body of evidence suggests that our diet is an important contributing factor in the development , management and prevention of a number of psychiatric illnesses .
Tryptophan , an essential amino acid , is the sole precursor of neurotransmitter 5‐hydroxytryptamine ( 5‐HT ; serotonin ) .
Administration of tryptophan can boost serotonin neurotransmission to produce therapeutically important effects in serotonin deficiency disorders .
Anorexia nervosa ( AN ) an eating disorder associated with high levels of psychiatric comorbidity including psychosis , hyperactivity , depression and anxiety has highest lethality of all psychiatric illnesses .
Evidence suggests that excessive dieting and food restriction can decrease brain tryptophan and serotonin in AN patients to precipitate depression , psychosis and hyperactivity .
There are currently no FDA approved pharmacological treatments available for AN patients ; antidepressants and antipsychotics , largely used to treat associated psychiatric comorbidities are also not very effective .
The aim of this non‐ systematic review article is to evaluate and document a potential importance of tryptophan supplementation in improving therapeutics in AN patients .
Salience network and olanzapine in schizophrenia: implications for treatment in anorexia nervosa.
UNLABELLED The salience network ( SN ) , a set of brain regions composed of the anterior fronto-insular cortex ( aFI ) and the anterior cingulate cortex ( ACC ) , is usually involved in interoception , self-regulating , and action selection . Accumulating evidence indicates that dysfunctions in this network are associated with various pathophysiological deficits in both schizophrenia and eating disorders , stemming mainly from dysfunctional information processing of internal or external stimuli . In addition , the metabolic side effects of some antipsychotics ( APs ) , as well as their pharmacological mechanisms of action , also suggest a link between the functional and neurophysiological changes in the brain in both schizophrenia and in eating disorders . Nevertheless , there is still a knowledge gap in explicitly and directly linking the metabolic side effects associated with AP treatment with the dysfunction in SN associated with processing of food-related information in schizophrenia . Here we provide neuroimaging evidence for such a link , by presenting data on a group of schizophrenia patients who followed 16 weeks of olanzapine treatment and undertook a passive viewing task while their brain activity was recorded . In response to food-related dynamic stimuli ( video clips ) , we observed a decreased activity in SN ( aFI and ACC ) after the treatment , which also correlated with ghrelin plasma concentration and a measure of dietary restraint . Taken together with past findings regarding the role of SN in both schizophrenia and eating disorders , our results suggest that enhancing the reactivity in the SN has the potential to be a treatment strategy in people with anorexia nervosa . CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT 00290121
Graphical abstract Excessive dieting‐induced nutritional deficiency of tryptophan : Effects on behavior and efficacy of antipsychotic and antidepressant medication .
& NA ; A growing body of evidence suggests that our diet is an important contributing factor in the development , management and prevention of a number of psychiatric illnesses .
Tryptophan , an essential amino acid , is the sole precursor of neurotransmitter 5‐hydroxytryptamine ( 5‐HT ; serotonin ) .
Administration of tryptophan can boost serotonin neurotransmission to produce therapeutically important effects in serotonin deficiency disorders .
Anorexia nervosa ( AN ) an eating disorder associated with high levels of psychiatric comorbidity including psychosis , hyperactivity , depression and anxiety has highest lethality of all psychiatric illnesses .
Evidence suggests that excessive dieting and food restriction can decrease brain tryptophan and serotonin in AN patients to precipitate depression , psychosis and hyperactivity .
There are currently no FDA approved pharmacological treatments available for AN patients ; antidepressants and antipsychotics , largely used to treat associated psychiatric comorbidities are also not very effective .
The aim of this non‐ systematic review article is to evaluate and document a potential importance of tryptophan supplementation in improving therapeutics in AN patients .