The Antidepressant Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Xinda Chen, Peiyi Zhao, Weihao Wang, Lixin Guo, Qi Pan
Abstract
AIM/HYPOTHESIS: Emerging evidence suggests that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) may exert positive effects in patients with depression. Our aim was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the antidepressant effects of GLP-1RAs. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies investigating the effects of GLP-1RAs versus placebo or other antidiabetic therapies on depressive symptoms were searched for using multiple electronic sources (CENTRAL, PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, ClinicalTrials.gov, China Network Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biomedical Database, Wan Fang data, and Chinese Scientific Journals Database) from inception to February 16, 2023. We utilized a random effects model to analyze standardized mean differences for the change in depression rating scales comparing GLP-1RA treated groups with control treated groups. RESULTS: = 0.40). CONCLUSIONS: Adults treated with GLP-1RAs showed significant reductions in the depression rating scale scores compared to those treated with control substances. Our findings suggest that GLP-1RAs may be a potential treatment for alleviating depressive symptoms in humans.