Abstract
BACKGROUND: While neuropsychiatric symptoms are common in Huntington's Disease (HD), there is a dearth of evidence about the effectiveness of psychotropic medication for treating behavioral and cognitive symptoms. This article systematically reviews and aggregates the evidence of the effects of antidepressants on individuals with early HD. METHODS: A systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis of RCTs comparing antidepressants to placebo in individuals with HD was performed, with a focus on outcomes of executive functioning, functional capacity, mood, motor function, and adverse events. RESULTS: A total of 4 studies with 123 of patients with early HD, of whom a total of 63 (51.2%) received an antidepressant, were identified in our search. In our pooled analysis, a modest but statistically significant improvement in mood resulted from antidepressant treatment in HD (OR -1.22; 95% CI -2.16,-0.27; p = 0.02). No significant differences in the other outcomes of interest were found following antidepressant exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Our investigation suggests that antidepressant use may modestly improve mood, but not ameliorate functional, cognitive, or movement-related symptoms in mild HD. Further studies involving novel agents, larger samples, and longer follow-up times are needed to better characterize the effect of antidepressants on neuropsychiatric symptoms in HD.