Differential effects of escitalopram on attention: a placebo-controlled, double-blind cross-over study

Rationale The role of serotonin (5-HT) in attention is not fully understood yet. Objective We aimed to investigate whether attention is modulated after treatment with escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Methods We administered 10 mg of escitalopram to 20 healthy subjects i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychopharmacologia 2009-12, Vol.207 (2), p.213-223
Main Authors: Drueke, Barbara, Baetz, Julia, Boecker, Maren, Moeller, Olaf, Hiemke, Christoph, Gründer, Gerd, Gauggel, Siegfried
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Attention - drug effects
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Citalopram - administration & dosage
Citalopram - pharmacokinetics
Citalopram - pharmacology
Clinical outcomes
Clinical trials
Cognition & reasoning
Cognition. Intelligence
Cross-Over Studies
Double-Blind Method
Drug Administration Schedule
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Neuropharmacology
Neurosciences
Original Investigation
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Pharmacology/Toxicology
Psychiatry
Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer
Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease)
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychopharmacology
Psychotropic drugs
Reaction Time - drug effects
Serotonin - metabolism
Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors - administration & dosage
Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors - pharmacokinetics
Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors - pharmacology
Young Adult
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Summary:Rationale The role of serotonin (5-HT) in attention is not fully understood yet. Objective We aimed to investigate whether attention is modulated after treatment with escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Methods We administered 10 mg of escitalopram to 20 healthy subjects in a placebo-controlled, double-blind cross-over design for 1 day or to another 20 participants for a period of 7 days. Attention was assessed at time of plasma peak escitalopram concentration using the computerised Attention Network Test (ANT), which is a combined flanker and cued reaction time task. Results The results showed differential effects of serotonergic manipulation on attention depending on sequence of intake. For the acute treatment, we found significant differences between escitalopram and placebo for all warning conditions dependent of sequence of intake: participants receiving escitalopram as first treatment showed significant slower reaction times in all warning conditions as compared with placebo while participants receiving escitalopram as second treatment showed significant faster reaction times as compared with placebo. For the sub-chronic treatment, we found significant differences between escitalopram and placebo depending on sequence of intake, but only for the flanker condition: participants receiving escitalopram first had significant slower reaction times in incongruent trials with escitalopram as compared with placebo while participants starting with placebo had significant shorter reaction times in incongruent trials with escitalopram. Conclusions Thus, the results showed a differential effect of escitalopram in cognition, especially in attention, and are discussed with regard to an interaction between serotonin and familiarity with the attention test.
ISSN:0033-3158
1432-2072
DOI:10.1007/s00213-009-1649-6