Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26209859›Full record

SynthesisThe international journal of neuropsychopharmacology2015

The Cognitive Effects of Antidepressants in Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.

Joshua D Rosenblat, Ron Kakar, Roger S McIntyre

Erratum issued 2 registry-linked trialsOpen access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 122 papers, 15 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
122citing papers in PubMed, 15 pooled it
24.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03978286 phase4completednot on this mapstarted 2016, after this paper: background citation

Vortioxetine Versus Sertraline in Control Metabolic, Distress and Depression in Mexican Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversidad Juárez Autónoma de TabascoRan2016 to 2018Enrolled21ConditionsDepression, Type 2 Diabetes MellitusArmsVortioxetine, Sertraline
NCT06232473 phase4recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

Efficacy of Patient Education and Duloxetine, Alone or in Combination, for Patients With Multisystem Functional Somatic Disorder

TypeinterventionalSponsorAarhus University HospitalRan2024 to 2029Enrolled424ConditionsFunctional DisorderArmsPatient Education, Duloxetine, Benztropine Mesylate 0.5 MG and passive placebo RAP, Enhanced usual care
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

122 citing papers in PubMed, 15 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 313 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Augmentation Therapy With Serotonin 5-HTNeuropsychopharmacology reports · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. A Systematic Review of Antidepressants and Psychotherapy Commonly Used in the Treatment of Late Life Depression for Their Effects on Cognition.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2025
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62 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Joshua D RosenblatMood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Canada (Drs Rosenblat, Kakar, and McIntyre); Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada (Drs Rosenblat and McIntyre); Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, and Windsor, Ontario, Canada (Dr Kakar).
Ron KakarMood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Canada (Drs Rosenblat, Kakar, and McIntyre); Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada (Drs Rosenblat and McIntyre); Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, and Windsor, Ontario, Canada (Dr Kakar).
Roger S McIntyreMood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Canada (Drs Rosenblat, Kakar, and McIntyre); Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada (Drs Rosenblat and McIntyre); Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, and Windsor, Ontario, Canada (Dr Kakar). roger.mcintyre@uhn.ca.
University of Toronto · CAUniversity Health Network · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCognitive dysfunction is often present in major depressive disorder (MDD). Several clinical trials have noted a pro-cognitive effect of antidepressants in MDD. The objective of the current systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the pooled efficacy of antidepressants on various domains of cognition in MDD.

methodsTrials published prior to April 15, 2015, were identified through searching the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Embase, PsychINFO, Clinicaltrials.gov, and relevant review articles. Data from randomized clinical trials assessing the cognitive effects of antidepressants were pooled to determine standard mean differences (SMD) using a random-effects model.

resultsNine placebo-controlled randomized trials (2 550 participants) evaluating the cognitive effects of vortioxetine (n = 728), duloxetine (n = 714), paroxetine (n = 23), citalopram (n = 84), phenelzine (n = 28), nortryptiline (n = 32), and sertraline (n = 49) were identified. Antidepressants had a positive effect on psychomotor speed (SMD 0.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.05-0.27; I(2) = 46%) and delayed recall (SMD 0.24; 95% CI 0.15-0.34; I(2) = 0%). The effect on cognitive control and executive function did not reach statistical significance. Of note, after removal of vortioxetine from the analysis, statistical significance was lost for psychomotor speed. Eight head-to-head randomized trials comparing the effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs; n = 371), selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs; n = 25), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs; n = 138), and norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs; n = 46) were identified. No statistically significant difference in cognitive effects was found when pooling results from head-to-head trials of SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs, and NDRIs. Significant limitations were the heterogeneity of results, limited number of studies, and small sample sizes.

conclusionsAvailable evidence suggests that antidepressants have a significant positive effect on psychomotor speed and delayed recall.

Indexed as

Antidepressive AgentsCognitionCognition DisordersHumansMajor Depressive DisorderRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment OutcomeAntidepressive Agentsantidepressantscognitive functionexecutive functionmajor depressive disorderpsychomotor speedworking memory

Identifiers

PMID26209859
PMCPMC4772818
OpenAlexW2212064423

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.