Perseverative behavior under uncertainty is enhanced by tryptophan depletion but diminished with subclinical obsessive–compulsive symptoms
Serotonin is critically involved in flexible decision-making, yet the preponderance of evidence comes from non-human studies. Many insights about the serotonin's function have come from the technique of dietary acute tryptophan depletion (ATD). However, it is unclear whether ATD modulates choice behavior during probabilistic reversal learning (PRL), a widely used model of behavioral flexibility with significant translational and clinical value. To determine whether ATD affects latent choice tendencies, we applied computational models of reinforcement learning to PRL data from healthy human volunteers (n = 62; 29 females) who had received either ATD or placebo in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled procedure. A secondary objective was to ascertain how model parameters related to clinically relevant self-report questionnaires. ATD did not affect the updating ("learning rates") or deployment ("reinforcement sensitivity") of value representations driving choice. However, ATD increased "stimulus stickiness", the tendency to choose a previously chosen visual stimulus again, regardless of reinforcement--a pattern seen in stimulant use disorder (SUD). Greater subclinical obsessive-compulsive symptoms were associated with lower stimulus stickiness, a pattern seen in clinically diagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Low reinforcement sensitivity was instead related to intolerance of uncertainty and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Individuals with higher trait impulsivity showed lower reward and higher punishment learning rates, which parallels findings in SUD. Collectively, these results point to a role for serotonin in compulsive tendencies. They underscore the utility of computational modelling in illuminating the microstructure of behavior, which could point towards new markers of vulnerability to psychopathology.