Contribution of L-Tyrosine to Human Decision Making in Stressful Situations (TYRO-STRESS)

Direction Centrale du Service de Santé des Armées

Status: Completed

Conditions: Stress, Psychological

Treatments: Drug: L-Tyrosine 500 Mg; Other: Stress exposure; Device: Electromyography (EMG); Drug: Placebo; Device: Electroencephalography (EEG); Behavioral: Anxiety scale; Behavioral: Cognitive tasks; Biological: Blood collection

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04518254

2018PPRC25

2019-A03194-53 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

L-tyrosine is a chemical precursor of dopamine. Under specific conditions, tyrosine administration can increase brain dopamine levels and therefore several studies have explored whether tyrosine supplementation can have a beneficial effect on cognitive and behavioural performance that is dependent on dopaminergic function. However, the effects of tyrosine supplementation are mixed: some studies show positive effects while others do not. Stress leads to an increase in dopaminergic activity and turnover in the brain, resulting in a decrease in brain dopamine levels. We propose to study the contribution of tyrosine to decision making and more particularly to the processes of response selection (mediated by the prefrontal cortex and under the influence of the dopaminergic system) in stressful situations.

Enrollment: 17 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• From 18 to 65 years of age

Exclusion criteria

• Tyrosine intake within the previous 15 days
• History of neurological or psychiatric disorder
• History of nephrological or endocrine disorder or liver failure
• Hereditary tyrosinemia

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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17 participants in 4 patient groups

Tyrosine - Test

Experimental group

Description:

4 similar visits (day 0, day 3, day 6, day 9): Administration of L-tyrosine No stress exposure

Treatment:

Biological: Blood collection

Behavioral: Anxiety scale

Behavioral: Cognitive tasks

Device: Electromyography (EMG)

Drug: L-Tyrosine 500 Mg

Device: Electroencephalography (EEG)

Tyrosine - Stress

Experimental group

Description:

4 similar visits (day 0, day 3, day 6, day 9): Administration of L-tyrosine Stress exposure

Treatment:

Biological: Blood collection

Behavioral: Anxiety scale

Behavioral: Cognitive tasks

Device: Electromyography (EMG)

Drug: L-Tyrosine 500 Mg

Device: Electroencephalography (EEG)

Other: Stress exposure

Placebo - Test

Experimental group

Description:

4 similar visits (day 0, day 3, day 6, day 9): Administration of Placebo No stress exposure

Treatment:

Biological: Blood collection

Behavioral: Anxiety scale

Behavioral: Cognitive tasks

Drug: Placebo

Device: Electromyography (EMG)

Device: Electroencephalography (EEG)

Placebo - Stress

Experimental group

Description:

4 similar visits (day 0, day 3, day 6, day 9): Administration of Placebo Stress exposure

Treatment:

Biological: Blood collection

Behavioral: Anxiety scale

Behavioral: Cognitive tasks

Drug: Placebo

Device: Electromyography (EMG)

Device: Electroencephalography (EEG)

Other: Stress exposure