Measuring Tryptophan Dynamics Using Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry at Carbon Fiber Microelectrodes with Improved Sensitivity and Selectivity

Despite the fact that tryptophan is an essential amino acid that humans typically obtain through diet, there are several interesting tryptophan dynamics at play in the body. Quantifying and understanding these dynamics are crucial in studies of depression, autism spectrum disorder, and other disorders that involve neurotransmitters directly synthesized from tryptophan. Here we detail the optimization of waveform parameters in fast scan cyclic voltammetry at carbon fiber microelectrodes to yield four-fold higher sensitivity and six-fold higher selectivity compared to previously reported methods. We demonstrate the utility of our method in measuring tryptophan dynamics in two cell model systems.