Associate Professor Mathew Gendle in the Department of Psychology, Erica Young ’13 and Alex Romano ’13 have published a research manuscript that will appear in the next issue of the journal Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental.
In the article, the authors detail their research examining the effects of 5-hydroxytryptophan on planning and executive control. 5-HTP is a naturally occurring amino acid sold over-the-counter in the United States as a dietary supplement, and is marketed as a facilitator of sleep and positive mood.
Gendle and colleagues uncovered behavioral evidence suggesting that oral 5-HTP administration may result in reduced dopamine levels in the brain—a finding that underscores the possibility of 5-HTP having notable unintended effects on users. The abstract of this article is available here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hup.2314/abstract