Levels in neurotransmitter precursor amino acids correlate with mental health in patients with breast cancer

Hüfner, Katharina; Oberguggenberger, Anne; Kohl, Claudia Adriana; Geisler, Simon; Gamper, Eva‐Maria; Meraner, Verena; Egeter, Jonas; Hubalek, Michael; Beer, Beate; Fuchs, Dietmar; Sperner‐Unterweger, Barbara

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.06.001

Cited by 30 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Low tyrosine concentrations and a higher Phe/Tyr ratio were related to a worse QoL only in women. Interestingly, we did not find associations between increased phenylalanine accumulation and depression in our population (neither men nor women), which is in contrast with earlier data in patients with breast cancer [ 48 ].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Immune Activation and Anemia Are Associated with Decreased Quality of Life in Patients with Solid Tumors

Kink

Egger

Lanser

et al. 2020

JCM

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Anemia often coincides with depression and impaired quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients. Sustained immune activation can lead to the development of anemia. Furthermore, it also may go along with changes in tryptophan and phenylalanine metabolism. The aim of our pilot study was to study the relationship between anemia, immune-mediated changes in amino acid metabolism, and the QoL and mood of cancer patients. Questionnaires to measure QoL and depression were completed by 152 patients with solid tumors. Hemoglobin, parameters of immune activation as well as tryptophan and phenylalanine metabolism were determined in the patients’ sera. Anemic patients (51.7%) presented with higher inflammatory markers, and a higher tryptophan breakdown with lower tryptophan concentrations. They reported an impaired QoL and had higher depression scores. Patients with an impaired QoL (65.8%) also suffered from more fatigue and impaired physical, emotional, and social functioning. They, furthermore, presented with higher concentrations of inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein (CRP) and neopterin) as well as higher tryptophan degradation (in men) and higher phenylalanine concentrations (in women). Sixty-one patients (40.1%) had (mostly mild) depression. In these patients, a higher degree of Th1 immune activation was found. The results of our study suggest that cancer-related anemia goes along with an impaired QoL, which is also associated with immune-mediated disturbances of tryptophan and phenylalanine metabolism.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Immune Activation and Anemia Are Associated with Decreased Quality of Life in Patients with Solid Tumors

Kink

Egger

Lanser

et al. 2020

JCM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Decreased CSF BH4 was also associated with increased CSF IL-6 in these patients. A decreased phenylalanine-to-tyrosine ratio has also been linked with symptoms of depression in other patient populations associated with increased inflammation including patients with cancer (Hufner et al, 2015). Taken together, these data support the use of dopamine-active medications for the treatment of behavioral changes in the context of inflammation.…”

Section: Inflammation Effects On Neurotransmitter Metabolismmentioning

confidence: 55%

Therapeutic Implications of Brain–Immune Interactions: Treatment in Translation

Miller

Haroon

Felger

2016

Neuropsychopharmacol

118

124

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A wealth of data has been amassed that details a complex, yet accessible, series of pathways by which the immune system, notably inflammation, can influence the brain and behavior. These data have opened the window to a diverse array of novel targets whose potential efficacy is tied to specific neurotransmitters and neurocircuits as well as specific behaviors. What is clear is that the impact of inflammation on the brain cuts across psychiatric disorders and engages dopaminergic and glutamatergic pathways that regulate motivation and motor activity as well as the sensitivity to threat. Given the ability to identify patient populations with increased inflammation, the precision of interventions can be further tuned, in conjunction with the ability to establish target engagement in the brain through the use of multiple neuroimaging strategies. After a brief overview of the mechanisms by which inflammation affects the brain and behavior, this review examines the extant literature on the efficacy of anti-inflammatory treatments, while forging guidelines for future intelligent clinical trial design. An examination of the most promising therapeutic strategies is also provided, along with some of the most exciting clinical trials that are currently being planned or underway.

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“…For example, a number of patient populations with increased inflammation, including patients with trauma, sepsis, cancer, and HIV, have been found to exhibit increased peripheral blood concentrations of phenylalanine (Hufner et al, 2015;Neurauter et al, 2008). Furthermore, increased phenylalanine concentrations in patients with cancer have been correlated with markers and mediators of inflammation including IL-6, IL-2 receptor, and soluble TNF receptor-2, as well as peripheral blood markers of oxidative stress (Neurauter et al, 2008).…”

Section: Da Synthesis and Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Inflammation Effects on Motivation and Motor Activity: Role of Dopamine

Felger

Treadway

2016

Neuropsychopharmacol

306

237

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Motivational and motor deficits are common in patients with depression and other psychiatric disorders, and are related to symptoms of anhedonia and motor retardation. These deficits in motivation and motor function are associated with alterations in corticostriatal neurocircuitry, which may reflect abnormalities in mesolimbic and mesostriatal dopamine (DA). One pathophysiologic pathway that may drive changes in DAergic corticostriatal circuitry is inflammation. Biomarkers of inflammation such as inflammatory cytokines and acute-phase proteins are reliably elevated in a significant proportion of psychiatric patients. A variety of inflammatory stimuli have been found to preferentially target basal ganglia function to lead to impaired motivation and motor activity. Findings have included inflammation-associated reductions in ventral striatal neural responses to reward anticipation, decreased DA and DA metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid, and decreased availability, and release of striatal DA, all of which correlated with symptoms of reduced motivation and/or motor retardation. Importantly, inflammation-associated symptoms are often difficult to treat, and evidence suggests that inflammation may decrease DA synthesis and availability, thus circumventing the efficacy of standard pharmacotherapies. This review will highlight the impact of administration of inflammatory stimuli on the brain in relation to motivation and motor function. Recent data demonstrating similar relationships between increased inflammation and altered DAergic corticostriatal circuitry and behavior in patients with major depressive disorder will also be presented. Finally, we will discuss the mechanisms by which inflammation affects DA neurotransmission and relevance to novel therapeutic strategies to treat reduced motivation and motor symptoms in patients with high inflammation.

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Levels in neurotransmitter precursor amino acids correlate with mental health in patients with breast cancer

Cited by 30 publications

References 54 publications

Immune Activation and Anemia Are Associated with Decreased Quality of Life in Patients with Solid Tumors

Immune Activation and Anemia Are Associated with Decreased Quality of Life in Patients with Solid Tumors

Therapeutic Implications of Brain–Immune Interactions: Treatment in Translation

Inflammation Effects on Motivation and Motor Activity: Role of Dopamine

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