Evidence mapPaperPMID 41438415Full record

ArticleBiological psychiatry global open science2026

A Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial of the Effects of Escitalopram on Depressive Symptoms and Immune Function in People With HIV.

Dwight L Evans, Sergei Spitsin, Kevin G Lynch, Chelsea D Voytek, Menvekeh G Daramay, Elizabeth A Hembree, Danielle Fiore, Robert Gross, J Cobb Scott, Steven D Douglas and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Biological psychiatry global open science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Dwight L EvansDepartment of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Sergei SpitsinChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Kevin G LynchDepartment of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Chelsea D VoytekDepartment of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Menvekeh G DaramayDepartment of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Elizabeth A HembreeDepartment of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Danielle FioreDepartment of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Robert GrossDepartment of Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
J Cobb ScottDepartment of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Steven D DouglasChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Michael E ThaseDepartment of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Funding

Penn Mental Health AIDS Research CenterP30MH097488 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI Knashawn Hodge Morales · 2013 to 2026
$23.5M
SSRI Effects on Depression and Immunity in HIV/AIDSU01MH107276 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI EVANS, DWIGHT L. · 2016 to 2020
$3.7M
NIMH NIH HHS P30 MH097488NIMH NIH HHS U01 MH107276
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: This study was a randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and improvement in depressive symptoms on innate immunity and inflammation in people with HIV (PWH). Methods: The mean 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) score at baseline was 19.1 for the sample ( Results: Participants showed substantial reduction in depressive symptoms during study with final HAMD-17 score of 8.00 (average decrease of 11.0 units). However, there was no statistically significant effect of treatment, whether viewed as a group × time interaction ( Conclusions: Our study did not demonstrate superiority of treatment with SSRI+CCBT versus placebo+CCBT. Patients in both arms showed improvement of depression symptoms, which did not correlate with changes in immune markers. We found no evidence of decreased inflammation (IL-6, CRP) or immune restoration (LUNKs or intracellular IFN-γ) following treatment with CCBT with or without active escitalopram. While antidepressant treatment is indicated for PWH with depression, we observed no evidence of direct immunologic benefits.

Indexed as

CBTDepressionHIVImmunityInflammationSSRI

Identifiers

PMID41438415
PMCPMC12720043

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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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.