Journal
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
Volume 39, Issue 6, Pages 1399-1408Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.335
Keywords
cognitive; depression; erythropoietin; memory; treatment resistant
Categories
Funding
- Danish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Higher Education
- Novo Nordisk Foundation
- Beckett Fonden
- Savvaerksejer Juhl's Mindefond
- Lundbeck Foundation [R67-2010-6154] Funding Source: researchfish
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Pharmacological treatments for depression have insufficient efficacy in 30-10% of patients and fail to reverse cognitive deficits. Erythropoietin (EPO) has neurotrophic actions and aids neurocognitive function. The aim of this exploratory study was to determine whether recombinant human EPO improves mood and memory in treatment-resistant depression. Forty treatment-resistant depressed unipolar patients with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HDRS-I 7) score >= 17 were randomized to eight weekly EPO (Eprex; 40000 IU) or saline infusions in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group design. Patients were assessed at baseline and at weeks 5, 9, and 14. Primary outcome was reduction in HDRS-17 score. Global assessment of function (GAF) was reported in addition. Secondary outcome was remission rate, and tertiary outcomes were changes in Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Beck Depression Inventory-21 (BDI-21), and World Health Organization Quality of life-BREF (VVH0Q0L-BREF). Exploratory outcomes were depression and cognition composite scores. HDRS-17, GAF, and remission rates showed no effects of EPO over saline at week 9 (P-value >= 0.09). However, EPO improved BDI (P=0.02) and WHOQOL-BREF (P=0.01), and this was maintained at follow-up week 14 (P-values <= 0.04). EPO enhanced verbal recall (P=0.02) and recognition (P=0.03), which was sustained at follow-up (P-values <= 0.04). Exploratory analysis in patients fulfilling depression severity criteria at trial start revealed ameliorated HDRS-17 in EPO (N=14) vs saline groups (N=17), which was sustained at week 14 (P-values <= 0.05). Exploratory analysis in the complete cohort showed that EPO reduced depression composite at weeks 9 and 14 (P-values = 0.02). The findings of this exploratory study highlight EPO as an interesting compound for treatment-resistant depression, which deserves further investigation.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available