Parkinson's drug may ease anhedonia in treatment-resistant depression

For many people who suffer from depression, the condition is not just about feeling down, but also about a loss of motivation and difficulty finding pleasure in activities they used to enjoy. A study conducted in Sweden at Lund University and Region Skåne shows that a medicine used to treat Parkinson’s disease can be used as an add-on therapy to alleviate these symptoms in some patients with treatment-resistant depression.

The study has been published in Nature Medicine.

"We found that pramipexole was linked to a positive effect on the brain's reward system and increased physical activity in everyday life. This supports the theory that the drug affects the dopamine system, which plays a key role in motivation and reward processing," says Filip Ventorp, a postdoc at Lund University and resident physician at Region Skåne.

Most patients experienced no major issues with the treatment, and few patients dropped out during the randomized controlled trial. Common side effects included sleep problems, nausea and dizziness, but these could usually be managed by adjusting the dose. Even those who chose to continue with the follow-up phase of the study for a further six months generally responded well to the therapy.

"Efficacy and safety were maintained over time during the follow-up phase, which is particularly relevant in cases of long-term and treatment-resistant depression. Although most participants in our study tolerated the drug well, it is important to monitor any side effects, such as impaired impulse control and daytime fatigue," says Marie Asp, a psychiatric researcher at Lund University and senior consultant in psychiatry at Region Skåne.

Source:

Lund University

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