Dietary tryptophan supplementation and affective state in pigs

The assessment and provision of welfare in farm animals has become a major issue in animal science. A key element for providing good welfare is the enabling of positive affective states in the animals. As the serotonergic system plays a central role in regulating affective behavior, an increase in centrally available serotonin (5-HT) via dietary supplementation of its precursor, tryptophan (TRP), might be an approach to induce positive affective states. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the effects of dietary TRP supplementation on brain TRP metabolism and 5-HT levels, but also on affective state and behavioral reactivity in pigs.
Source: Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Source Type: research