title: Cognitive and serotonergic vulnerability to depression: convergent findings.
abstract: Cognitive reactivity (CR) is a psychological vulnerability marker of depression, whereas response to acute tryptophan depletion (ATD; a serotonergic challenge procedure) is a biological vulnerability marker. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between these markers. Thirty-nine remitted depressed patients participated in 2 ATD sessions in a double-blind crossover design. CR, assessed prior to the ATD sessions, predicted depressive response to high-dose ATD. CR also diminished the effects of 2 known predictors of ATD response: gender and residual symptoms. Neuroticism and behavioral inhibition were unrelated to ATD response. CR is associated with an increased sensitivity to reductions of serotonin concentrations. These findings present a small step toward unifying cognitive and neurobiological theories of depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Booij
authors.forename: A J Willem
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Van der Does
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000172:deficiency
chemical_list: D012701:Serotonin; D014364:Tryptophan