Many people think recovery from depression means feeling happier again.
However, for many patients, problems with memory, attention, and concentration continue for months or even years. These symptoms, often called brain fog, can be just as frustrating as low mood itself.
Researchers from the University of Birmingham and the University of Oxford have now reported that an existing constipation medicine may help improve these thinking problems.
Their findings were published in Psychological Medicine.
The medicine, called prucalopride, has been used for years to treat chronic constipation. Scientists became interested in it because it activates a serotonin receptor that plays a role in both the digestive system and the brain.
To investigate whether the drug could improve thinking, the research team recruited 50 adults who had experienced depression in the past but had recovered for at least six months. None of the volunteers were taking antidepressant medication during the study.
Participants received either the standard 2-milligram dose of prucalopride or a placebo for seven to ten days. They then completed a range of tests that measured learning, memory, attention, processing speed, and emotional thinking.
People who took prucalopride performed better overall than those taking the placebo. They answered questions more quickly and made fewer mistakes during tests of memory and executive function. The researchers also reported no major side effects during the short treatment period.
Scientists have long known that serotonin helps control mood, but it also supports learning and memory. By stimulating the 5-HT4 receptor, prucalopride may strengthen communication between brain cells involved in thinking and attention.
The findings are exciting because there are currently few treatments designed specifically for the cognitive symptoms of depression. Even when depression is well controlled, many patients continue to struggle with work, school, and daily activities because of poor concentration.
The researchers plan to carry out larger and longer studies to see whether the benefits continue over time and whether similar medicines might also help people with other mental health conditions. Earlier research has also suggested that this group of medicines could reduce the risk of depression itself.
This study should be viewed as promising but preliminary because it involved only 50 participants and lasted for just over a week. Larger trials are essential before doctors can recommend prucalopride for brain fog related to depression. Nevertheless, because the drug is already licensed for another condition, it may be possible to test this new use more quickly than developing an entirely new medicine.
If you care about mental health, please read studies that vegetarian diet may increase your depression risk, and Vitamin D could help reduce depression symptoms.
For more health information, please see recent studies about why pizza is a very addictive food, and MIND diet could improve cognitive health in older people.
