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Background: Previous research has shown that many people experience a temporary worsening of mood following acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) and that concurrent use of serotonergic medications may influence such mood responses. We investigated mood and other consequences of ATD in women with bulimia nervosa who were or were not using concurrent serotonergic medications compared with women without bulimia. Methods: Women self-referred for treatment of bulimia who were either not currently using psychoactive medications (n= 26) or who were using serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications exclusively (n= 13), as well as medication-free normaleater control women (n= 25) completed interviews and questionnaires assessing eating and comorbid psychopathology and then participated in an ATD procedure involving balanced and tryptophan-depleted conditions. Results: In the tryptophan-depleted condition, the groups displayed similar and significant decrements in plasma tryptophan levels and mood. Women with bulimia who were using serotonin reuptake inhibitors, but not the other groups, also reported an increased urge to binge eat in the tryptophan-depleted condition. Limitations: Application of medication in participants with bulimia was not random. Conclusion: Acute reductions in serotonin availability produced similar mood-reducing effects in bulimic and nonbulimic women. To the extent that ATD affected subjective experiences pertinent to eating (i.e., urge to binge eat), such effects appeared to depend upon ATD-induced competition with the therapeutic effects of serotonergic medications., Introduction Bulimia nervosa has been associated with alterations in central serotonin (5-HT) function, (1) thought to implicate constitutional (e.g., hereditary) influences (2-5) and state-related (e.g., dietary) factors. (2,6) Whereas pertinent [...]

Background: Low-function alleles of the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism (5HTTLPR) have been linked to various psychopathological entities, especially in individuals exposed to prior stressors. In women with bulimic syndromes, we [...]

The implications of the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) transporter gene (5HTTLPR) allele for eating symptoms, psychopathologic traits and platelet [3H-] paroxetine binding in 59 women with bulimic spectrum syndromes are investigated. The results showed proneness to impulsivity, affective dys-regulation and reduced central 5HTTLPR polymorphism.

A research was conducted to examine the application of the mer gene model system in studying the genetic diversity in bacterial community sites in order to define the spatial profiles of mer genes in natural environments. Fluorescent-polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was utilized to profile the mer gene. Results suggested different spatial dimensions to the distribution of a specific bacterial gene in soil and sediment environments.

Excessive alcohol consumption can be associated with cognitive impairment not only in drinkers but also in their offspring. Studies of children of alcoholics (COA's), and particularly of sons of male [...]

A novel experimental system is described for fine-scale quantification, with conditions designed to mimic the mosaic of spatially variable selection pressures present in natural surface environments. Heterogeneous Hg has resulted in negative frequency-dependent selection of Hg cells, showing that sporadic selection has facilitated the discontinuous distribution of plasmids through host populations in complex, structured environments.

The association between eating disorders (EDs) and various component dimensions of the impulsivity construct are examined. The results suggest that binge-eating behavior coincides with problems of response inhibition, whereas a risk-taking attitude might be a unique characteristic of individuals with bulimia nervosa.

ABSTRACT: Objective: When alcohol is consumed following learning, the effect on delayed, sober memory can vary from person to person. We examined a range of individual differences to look for [...]