title: Early increase in marker of neuronal integrity with antidepressant treatment of major depression: 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy of N-acetyl-aspartate.
abstract: Increasing interest surrounds potential neuroprotective or neurotrophic actions of antidepressants. While growing evidence points to important early clinical and neuropsychological effects of antidepressants, the time-course of any effect on neuronal integrity is unclear. This study used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to assess effects of short-term treatment with escitalopram on N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), a marker of neuronal integrity. Thirty-nine participants with major depression were randomly assigned to receive either 10 mg escitalopram or placebo daily in a double-blind, parallel group design. On the seventh day of treatment, PRESS data were obtained from a 30×30×20 mm voxel placed in medial frontal cortex. Age and gender-matched healthy controls who received no treatment were also scanned. Levels of NAA were significantly higher in patients treated with escitalopram than in either placebo-treated patients (p<0.01) or healthy controls (p<0.01). Our findings are consistent with the proposition that antidepressant treatment in depressed patients can produce early changes in neuronal integrity.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital Oxford, UK. matthew.j.taylor@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Beata R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Godlewska
authors.forename: Ray
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Norbury
authors.forename: Sudhakar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Selvaraj
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Near
authors.forename: Philip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Cowen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D015283:Citalopram / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011522:Protons; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D011522:Protons; D015283:Citalopram; D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate