tryptophan hydroxylase

an enzyme that catalyzes the first step in the biosynthesis of serotonin. It uses tetrahydrobiopterin as a coenzyme to transform the dietary amino acid L-tryptophan to 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). This reaction is the rate-limiting step in serotonin synthesis, limited by levels of tryptophan in the brain as well as by levels of activity of neurons that use serotonin as a neurotransmitter.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

October 9th 2024

spectator effect

the effect on performance when a task is carried out in the presence of others. When an individual is confident of being able to perform the task (i.e., has high task confidence), spectators improve performance; when task confidence is low, they worsen it.