Mood, Serotonin and Social Interaction
Mood, Serotonin and Social Interaction
Rationale: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric disorder whose onset, severity,
 and duration are influenced by interpersonal factors. The serotonin system is known to
 influence MDD risk. Recent research has suggested that serotonin may also play a role in
 regulating social behaviour. Therefore, it would be interesting to study the role of
 serotonin in responses to social stimuli in individuals at risk for MDD.

 Objective: This project aims to study how changes in serotonin alter interpersonal
 functioning in adults with or without a first degree family member diagnosed with MDD. The
 primary goal is to investigate the effect of experimentally lowered brain serotonin levels on
 empathic accuracy. Secondary goals are to determine how this manipulation influences verbal
 and non-verbal communication, cardiovascular function in a social context, and mood. An
 exploratory goal is to investigate how these outcomes are related to genes thought to be
 involved in MDD.
see summary
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Age 18 to 65 yrs

 -  At least one first-degree family member with MDD, Family History (FH) positive, or no
 first and -second degree family members with MDD, FH negative

 -  Willingness to cooperate, to sign written informed consent

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Any current or past Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) IV Axis I mood disorder,
 anxiety disorder, psychotic disorder, eating disorder, or somatoform disorder as
 determined by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM interview

 -  Any current substance use disorder

 -  Any past substance dependence

 -  Ongoing medical treatment for a chronic disease, particularly cancer, gastrointestinal
 disease, phenylketonuria, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or disease of the liver or
 kidneys

 -  Not speaking Dutch fluently

 -  Current or past use of neuroleptics, sedative drugs, antidepressants etc.

 -  On test days, a positive urine test for drugs of abuse

 -  For women, initiation of hormonal contraceptive treatments 3 months prior to
 screening, or a positive urine test for pregnancy on test days