Can SSRIs Slow Worsening of Mild Cognitive Impairment?

In previously depressed individuals, long-term selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors delayed conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer disease by about 3 years.

Controversial evidence has linked antidepressants to changes in risk for dementia owing to Alzheimer disease (AD; NEJM JW Psychiatry Jun 2017 and PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175187). Using data from 755 enrollees in a dementia study (mean age, 74), investigators studied antidepressants' potential influence on the ongoing course of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Patients did not have depression at baseline; 223 had prior histories of depression: 60 were not receiving antidepressants at baseline, 116 were on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and 47 were taking other antidepressant types (duration of treatment: 1–4 years, 52%; >4 years, 25%). At baseline, 161 participants were cognitively normal, 438 had MCI, and 156 had AD.

Past histor…

Reviewing Author

Joel Yager, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsInternational Journal of Eating Disorders; UpToDate; FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry; American Journal of Psychotherapy

Joel Yager, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsInternational Journal of Eating Disorders; UpToDate; FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry; American Journal of Psychotherapy

Can SSRIs Slow Worsening of Mild Cognitive Impairment?

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Reviewing Author