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Simvastatin causes changes in affective processes in elderly volunteers.

Knashawn Morales1, Marsha Wittink, Catherine Datto

  • 1Center for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
|January 20, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Simvastatin significantly impacts mood in older adults, reducing positive affect and altering responses to negative events. This may affect quality of life, especially in those with lower cholesterol levels.

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Area of Science:

  • Geriatric psychopharmacology
  • Affective science
  • Clinical trial research

Background:

  • Statins, like simvastatin, are widely prescribed for hypercholesterolemia.
  • Potential effects of statins on mood and emotional processing are not fully understood, particularly in the elderly population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of simvastatin on affect and affective processes in elderly volunteers.
  • To determine if simvastatin influences positive and negative affect, depressive symptoms, and emotional event processing.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 80 older volunteers (average age 70) with high cholesterol.
  • Participants received simvastatin (up to 20 mg/d) or placebo for 15 weeks, with daily affect diaries and biweekly depression assessments.

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Main Results:

  • Simvastatin use was associated with a significant decrease in positive affect, particularly in participants who achieved lower total cholesterol levels (<148 mg/dL).
  • Significant interactions indicated a time-limited increase in the impact of negative events on mood for those taking simvastatin.
  • No significant difference in depressive symptom scores between the simvastatin and placebo groups was observed.

Conclusions:

  • Simvastatin demonstrates statistically significant effects on affect and affective processes in elderly individuals.
  • The observed reduction in positive affect warrants clinical consideration regarding patient quality of life.
  • Further research may be needed to elucidate the clinical significance of these mood-related changes.