Objective: To assess efficacy and safety of Vortioxetine in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients affected by depression and its effects on motor performance.

Background: Depression is one of the most common non-motor symptoms in PD patients, with a reported prevalence of 30–40% overall. It is associated with rapid progression of motor and cognitive symptoms, as well as with worse quality of life. Vortioxetine is an antidepressant drug, acting as multimodal regulator of serotonin trasmission. Several types of antidepressants are currently available to treat PD-associated depression (dPD). Nevertheless, no previous studies were carried out to assess the effects of Vortioxetine in dPD.

Method: A total of 150 dPD patients (68 females) without prominent motor fluctuations, and with stable Levodopa treatment, were enrolled. Depression was diagnosed using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) criteria. All patients underwent a neuropsychological assessment with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS). Patients received Vortioxetine 5 mg daily for a week, then 96 patients received 10 mg daily. In the other 54 patients, due to more severe depression, Vortioxetine dose was increased to 20 mg daily for 60 days, then reinstated to 10 mg daily. A three months clinical and neuropsychological follow-up was then carried out.

Results: In this cohort, mean baseline scores were: MDS-UPDRS 19±5; HDRS 18±6. After three months of 10 mg daily Vortioxetine treatment, patients showed improvement of HDRS score (8±5), as well as patients treated with 20 mg dose (HDRS score: 7±6). MDS-UPDRS scores were not significantly modified by the therapy in both groups. No severe side effects were reported.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that Vortioxetine improves depression severity in dPD patients, without significant worsening of motor symptoms. Moreover, Vortioxetine was proved to have a remarkable safety profile.

« Back to 2019 International Congress

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/vortioxetine-treatment-of-depression-in-parkinsons-disease/