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Science 9 July 1971:
Vol. 173. no. 3992, pp. 149 - 152
DOI: 10.1126/science.173.3992.149
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Articles

Brain Serotonin Content: Physiological Dependence on Plasma Tryptophan Levels

John D. Fernstrom 1 and R. J. Wurtman 1

1 Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139

Brain serotonin cocentrations at 1 p.m. were significantly elevated 1 hour after rats received a dose of L-tryptophan (12.5 milligrams per kilogram. intraperitoneally) smaller than one-twentieth of the normal daily dietary intake. Plasma and brain tryptophan levels were elevated 10 to 60 minutes after the injection, but they never exceeded the concentrationis that occur nocturnally in untreated aninmals as result of their normal 24-hour rhythms. These data suggest that physiological changes in plasma tryptophan concentration influenice brain serotonin levels.


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)