Sexes Act Differently to Serotonin Loss

Women and men appear to respond differently to reduced serotonin — women get more depressed and men are more impulsive, a Norwegian study says.

It is already known that reduced serotonin transmission contributes to functional changes associated with major depressive disorder, said study author Dr. Espen Walderhaug, of the University of Oslo.

Using a technique in healthy participants called acute tryptophan depletion, which decreases serotonin levels in the brain, Walderhaug and colleagues found that men became more impulsive, but did not experience any mood changes in response to the induced serotonin changes.

However, the study, published in Biological Psychiatry, found women reported a worsening of their mood and they became more cautious, a response commonly associated with depression.

We were surprised to find such a clear sex difference, as men and women normally experience the same effect when the brain chemistry is changed, Walderhaug said in a statement. Although we have the same serotonergic system in the brain, it is possible that men and women utilize serotonin differently.