The effect of atorvastatin on cognition and mood in bipolar disorder and unipolar depression patients: A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES\nStatins have recently been linked to having effects on cognition and mood in mood disorders, though results are mixed. In this paper, we use data from a recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine the effect of statins on cognition and mood in patients with Bipolar Disorder (BD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).\n\n\nMETHODS\nThis is a secondary analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (n\u202f=\u202f60) originally designed to examine the effect of atorvastatin (n\u202f=\u202f27) versus placebo (n\u202f=\u202f33) for lithium-induced diabetes insipidus in BD and MDD patients who were using lithium. For this analysis, the primary outcome was global cognition Z-score at 12-weeks adjusted for baseline. The secondary cognition outcomes were (1) Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP), and (2) executive function Z-score. The primary mood outcome (secondary outcome of this analysis) was depression relapse during 12-week follow-up (Mongomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) ≥10). The secondary mood outcomes were (1) relapse rate into a manic episode, and (2) relapse rate into any mood episode.\n\n\nRESULTS\nAfter 12 weeks follow-up, atorvastatin and placebo groups did not differ in terms of global cognition Z-score (β\xa0=\xa0-0.009287 (-0.1698,0.1512), p-value\xa0=\xa00.91). Similarly, composite Z-scores for SCIP and executive functions did not differ significantly. Depression relapse during 12-week follow-up was not significantly different between the groups (χ2 (1)\xa0=\xa00.148, p-value\xa0=\xa00.70). Similarly, there was no difference between groups regarding relapse into mania.\n\n\nCONCLUSION\nIn BD and MDD patients with lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus randomized to atorvastatin or placebo, we found no significant differences in cognition and mood outcomes at 12-week follow-up.