Cited by 59Treatment of Major DepressionSchizophrenia research and treatmentAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

Which cognitive domains are improved by treatment with vortioxetine?

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Harrison, John E, Lophaven, Søren, Olsen, Christina K·2016·International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology

Abstract

BACKGROUND: These post hoc analyses evaluated vortioxetine efficacy on cognitive dysfunction in depression. Data were from a double-blind, randomized, fixed-dose, placebo-controlled, 8-week depression study in adults aged 18-65 years (n = 602) with DSM-IV-defined major depressive disorder (MDD). Subjects were randomized (1:1:1) to vortioxetine 10mg/day or 20mg/day or placebo. METHODS: Cognitive function was assessed at baseline, Week 1 (10mg/day only) and Week 8 using Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) number of correct symbols, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Trail Making Test, Stroop test, Simple Reaction Time, and Choice Reaction Time tests. The cognition variables were standardized and used for constructing composite Z-scores for the cognitive domains of executive function, attention/speed of processing, and memory. RESULTS: At Week 1, vortioxetine 10mg/day separated from placebo for attention/speed of processing (standardized composite Z-score = 0.21; p = 0.0238) and DSST number of correct symbols (standardized effect size = 0.18; p = 0.0458) and for executive function (standardized composite Z-score = 0.20; p = 0.0274). At Week 8, vortioxetine 10mg/day and 20mg/day separated from placebo for executive function and attention/speed of processing, with standardized composite Z-scores ranging from 0.35 to 0.49 (all p < 0.01). Standardized composite Z-scores for memory were 0.31 ( p = 0.0036, 10mg/day) and 0.22 ( p = 0.0349, 20mg/day). Standardized effect sizes for DSST were 0.51 ( p < 0.0001, 10mg/day) and 0.52 ( p < 0.0001, 20mg/day). Results are limited by the post hoc nature of the analyses and the absence of an active reference in the original study. CONCLUSIONS: Vortioxetine (10 and 20mg/day) had a multi-domain beneficial effect on cognitive performance, as evidenced by improvements in measures of executive function, attention/speed of processing, and memory. The effect on the DSST may be due to improvements in several cognitive skills.

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  • Robust evidence exists regarding the use of vortioxetine to treat mood-related symptoms of depression and slowed processing speed, and it is the only FDA-cleared psychotropic medication to treat both.

    “Robust evidence exists regarding the use of vortioxetine to treat mood-related symptoms of depression and slowed processing speed (Bennabi et al., 2019;Frampton, 2016;Harrison et al., 2016;Mahableshwarkar et al., 2015;McIntyre et al., 2014), and it is the only FDA-cleared psychotropic medication to treat both.”

    From Neurocognitive effects of theta burst stimulation for treatment-resistant depression in adults: A systematic review and recommendations for future research (2025) · cites this paper as Harrison et al., 2016

    The Results and Discussion report that vortioxetine improved attention and speed of processing in adults with major depressive disorder. The paper does not establish the cited clause’s claim about treating mood-related symptoms specifically. The FDA-cleared assertion follows the citation rather than being directly attributed to it. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Authors
Harrison, J. E., Lophaven, S., & Olsen, C. K.
Affiliations
Lundbeck (Denmark) (DK)
Corresponding author
Harrison, John E
Venue
International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
Published
2016-05-26
Volume
19
Issue
10
Pages
pyw054
ISSN
  • 1461-1457 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-5111
OpenAlex
W2403465849
Cited by
59
References
24
Citations by year
2025: 8 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 5
FWCI
7.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc
Locations
  • The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords
vortioxetine, major depressive disorder, cognitive impairment, executive function, memory, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Trail Making Test, Stroop task

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