Elsevier

Biological Psychiatry

Volume 31, Issue 7, 1 April 1992, Pages 739-742
Biological Psychiatry

Brief report
Effects of a low-fat diet on brain serotonergic responsivity in cynomolgus monkeys

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Cited by (87)

  • The potential behavioral and economic impacts of widespread HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (statin) use

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    As discussed earlier, juvenile monkeys that consumed a low cholesterol diet displayed more aggression and fewer social affiliation behaviors, exhibited a blunted serum prolactin response to a fenfluramine challenge, and had lower cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of 5-HIAA [51–54]. Primate studies need to be conducted that generally replicate Kaplan, Muldoon, and colleagues’ past work [51–54], but rather than focus on dietary manipulations, these investigations should orally administer statins or placebo at ecologically relevant doses to determine if statins significantly lower TC in the treated animals, and if such a reduction in TC in the statin group is associated with: 1) increased aggressive behaviors and impulsivity, as measured in previous studies; 2) decreased social affiliation behaviors; 3) increased resource gathering; 4) measureable changes in 5-HT activity in the brain, such as reductions in 5-HIAA in cerebrospinal fluid; and, 5) neurophysiological alterations (such as changes in cell assembly firing rates) in the prefrontal cortex. Through additional studies utilizing appropriate human samples and primate models as well as forensic survey methodology, the hypothesis that widespread statin use negatively affects executive control and financial decision making can be directly empirically evaluated, and the possibility that the widespread use of statins played a role in the financial crisis of 2007–2008 can also be addressed.

  • Dysregulation of brain reward systems in eating disorders: Neurochemical information from animal models of binge eating, bulimia nervosa, and anorexia nervosa

    2012, Neuropharmacology
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    In contrast, a large body of research on anorexia has focused on 5-HT systems, which have also been proposed to serve as aversive motivational systems that might oppose a DA-related appetitive system (Cools et al., 2008; Daw et al., 2002). In animals, very low-fat diets, typically consumed by anorectic patients, have been found to diminish neuronal 5-HT activity (Muldoon et al., 1992). Further, laboratory animal studies using ABA show that 5-HT release is reduced in the NAc (Verhagen et al., 2009b).

  • Cholesterol and CSF 5-HIAA in attempted suicide

    2010, Journal of Affective Disorders
  • Cholesterol, CSF 5-HIAA, violence and intent in suicidal men

    2010, Psychiatry Research
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    Engstrom et al. (1995) found that HDL-C, but not total cholesterol, showed positive correlation with the CSF 5-HIAA in suicide attempters. With animal studies, Muldoon et al. (1992) found lower 5-HIAA concentrations and more aggressive behaviour in 17 cynomolgus monkeys fed a low-cholesterol diet compared with animals on normal rations. It has been proposed that low serum cholesterol reflects low cholesterol content in the brain — and more specifically reduced cholesterol in brain cell membranes, possibly leading to lower lipid microviscosity, which could affect serotonin receptor exposure resulting in decreased serotonin binding and uptake (Engelberg, 1992).

  • Suicide neurobiology

    2009, Progress in Neurobiology
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This study was supported in part by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Grants HL 26551 and HL 40962.

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