ReviewNutrients2016
Influence of Tryptophan and Serotonin on Mood and Cognition with a Possible Role of the Gut-Brain Axis.
Review in Nutrients, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 391 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
391 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 865 citations in OpenAlex.
- Investigating the role of the kynurenine pathway in traumatic brain injury: a systematic review.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2026Pooled it
- The association of dietary inflammatory index with sleep outcomes: A systematic review.Health promotion perspectives · 2024Pooled it
- The Impact of 5-Hydroxytryptophan Supplementation on Cognitive Function and Mood in Singapore Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Nutrients · 2025Trial
- A biphasic response to blueberry supplementation on depressive symptoms in emerging adults: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.European journal of nutrition · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Effect of gut microbiome modulation on muscle function and cognition: the PROMOTe randomised controlled trial.Nature communications · 2024Trial
- The Efficacy of Chaihu-Guizhi-Ganjiang Decoction on Chronic Non-Atrophic Gastritis with Gallbladder Heat and Spleen Cold Syndrome and Its Metabolomic Analysis: An Observational Controlled Before-After Clinical Trial.Drug design, development and therapy · 2024Trial
- Pancreatic Replacement Therapy for Maladaptive Behaviors in Preschool Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.JAMA network open · 2023Trial
- The Usefulness of the Low-FODMAP Diet with Limited Tryptophan Intake in the Treatment of Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome.Nutrients · 2023Trial
- Microbiome-driven alterations in tryptophan metabolism contribute to behavioral comorbidities in the Muc2 knockout mouse model of chronic colitis.Gut microbes · 2026Article
- Article
- The Tryptophan-Kynurenine Pathway as a Key Mediator of the Gut-Brain Axis in Depression and Alzheimer's Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Serotonergic System Dysregulation in Alzheimer's Disease.ACS chemical neuroscience · 2026Review
- The Gut-Brain Axis in Sleep Deprivation: Mechanisms, Dysbiosis, and Potential Therapeutic Avenues.Iranian journal of medical sciences · 2026Review
- Nonlinear association between body mass index, perceived discrimination, and psychological sub-health problems among adolescents: risks of undernutrition versus overnutrition.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Article
- Extracellular ATP drives tryptophan metabolism and aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation to promote cellular senescence.The Journal of biological chemistry · 2026Article
- The Therapeutic Potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Post-Stroke Depression.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Network analysis of serotonin CNVs shows biological convergence from genetic heterogeneity and discriminates between autism and developmental delay.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Sex-specific microbial and tryptophan signatures of depression implicate archaeal methanogens and indole-3-acetic acid only in women.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Article
331 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The serotonergic system forms a diffuse network within the central nervous system and plays a significant role in the regulation of mood and cognition. Manipulation of tryptophan levels, acutely or chronically, by depletion or supplementation, is an experimental procedure for modifying peripheral and central serotonin levels. These studies have allowed us to establish the role of serotonin in higher order brain function in both preclinical and clinical situations and have precipitated the finding that low brain serotonin levels are associated with poor memory and depressed mood. The gut-brain axis is a bi-directional system between the brain and gastrointestinal tract, linking emotional and cognitive centres of the brain with peripheral functioning of the digestive tract. An influence of gut microbiota on behaviour is becoming increasingly evident, as is the extension to tryptophan and serotonin, producing a possibility that alterations in the gut may be important in the pathophysiology of human central nervous system disorders. In this review we will discuss the effect of manipulating tryptophan on mood and cognition, and discuss a possible influence of the gut-brain axis.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.