A single administration of 'microbial' D-alanine to healthy volunteers augments reaction to negative emotions: A comparison with D-serine.
J Psychopharmacol
; 34(5): 557-566, 2020 05.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32167001
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Activation of the glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor with its co-agonist D-serine has been shown to improve subjective mood in healthy volunteers. D-alanine is another potent N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor co-agonist which arises from the natural breakdown of host gut microbes, and is predominantly sequestered in the pituitary. This may suggest that D-alanine influences the neuroendocrine stress response which may then impact on emotion.AIMS:
The current study explored the effects of D-serine and D-alanine on emotional processing, cognition and the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in healthy volunteers.METHODS:
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised study, participants (n=63) received a single oral dose of either D-serine, D-alanine (60 mg/kg) or placebo and then performed the Emotional Test Battery and N-back task (two hours post-administration) and provided saliva samples at fixed intervals.RESULTS:
Subjects administered with D-alanine were faster at identifying facial expressions of fear, surprise and anger, and at categorising negative self-referential words. Participants on D-alanine also showed a trend to recall more words than placebo in a memory task. D-serine did not have any meaningful effects in any of the tasks. Neither amino acid had a significant effect on salivary cortisol or working memory.CONCLUSION:
This study is the first to suggest that D-alanine can modulate emotional cognitive processing after a single dose. The lack of findings for D-serine nevertheless contrasts a previous study, emphasising a need for further investigation to clarify discrepancies. A better understanding of the physiological actions of D-amino acids would be beneficial in evaluating their therapeutic potential.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Serina
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Hidrocortisona
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Alanina
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Emoções
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
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Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Adult
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Female
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Humans
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Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Psychopharmacol
Assunto da revista:
PSICOFARMACOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Reino Unido