By Yasmin Abdoulraman
Vancouver Campus, Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology student

Can the antidepressant Trazodone improve or slow down the decline of cognitive functioning?

For the past few months, my research supervisor, Amir Sepehry, Ph.D., and I have been conducting a meta-analysis on Trazodone’s effects on neurocognitive functioning in adults. While this work is not part of my dissertation, it is the result of one of the benefits provided by Adler University, where doctoral students like me are encouraged to gain experience with meta-analysis before applying it to our final research.

Before sharing our findings, you may wonder: What exactly is a meta-analysis?

A meta-analysis is a quantitative statistical method combining the numerical results of multiple published studies — of a similar focused topic/research question. By doing this, we can synthesize separate results into a general estimate that captures a larger number of people. This also allows for more generalizability and carries more statistical power than one single study.

To do our research for this study, Dr. Sepehry, assistant professor of clinical psychology, and I gathered and analyzed quantitative data from a number of published studies on the effectiveness of Trazodone on cognitive functioning.

Trazodone is a serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor (SARI) that has been shown to be very beneficial in improving depressive symptoms and sleep issues. Still, there was a gap in the existing scientific literature on whether it could improve or slow down the decline of cognitive functioning.

We chose to look at published studies that included participants who were 18 years or older, were either healthy or had some medical psychological condition, had received a minimum of 25 mg of Trazodone per day for at least seven days, and had their neurocognitive functioning measured with either the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) or the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The MMSE and the MoCA are brief screening questionnaires measuring global cognition (i.e., general or overall cognitive functioning). We ended up finding six studies that met our criteria, some of which included patients with Alzheimer’s disease, sleep issues, or cerebral vascular disease.

So, does Trazodone improve or slow down the decline of cognitive functioning?

This June, Dr. Sepehry and I had the honour of presenting our findings at the 85th Annual National Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA 2024) in Ottawa, Ontario.

I still remember when Dr. Sepehry first approached me in the main hall of our beautiful Vancouver Campus and proposed we do this research project together. I immediately said yes. He is extremely knowledgeable on psychopharmacology and a meta-analysis guru.

We were delighted to find out our work had been accepted by CPA 2024 and that we would present our subsequent findings on the effectiveness of Trazodone with a room full of eager learners.

During our presentation, we shared that most studies did not show a positive impact of Trazodone on cognition. While two studies did, we ultimately concluded that there was no significant difference between global cognition before or after Trazodone intake, nor were there significant differences in global cognition between Trazodone or comparison groups.

We did, however, find a small effect of time/duration on Trazodone on cognitive performance, but dosage did not impact it. We recommended that future studies use a longer time to gauge this medication’s effectiveness better and that a wider variety of clinical populations be examined. This exciting area still needs to be explored, as it could have a tremendous impact on so many lives.

Presenting these findings was an incredible experience. Being part of this massive annual three-day convention, which brings together 1,000 or more psychologists, researchers, and graduate students, was a privilege. The event provided a platform to disseminate research findings, discover new developments in the field, and network with fellow psychology enthusiasts.

Some of the CPA 2024 included understanding the mind and the brain, promoting a healthier planet, promoting human rights and social justice, and informing public policy. I heard from several featured speakers, such as Leroy Little Bear, J.D., a Blackfoot researcher and founding member of Canada’s first Native American Studies Department; Eleanor Gittins, Ph.D., CPA’s first Black female president; and the Honourable Jean Austine, who, in 1993, made history by becoming the first African-Canadian woman to be elected into Canada’s House of Commons as a member of Parliament.

Dr. Sepehry and I were joined by other Vancouver Adlerians, including Janelle Kwee, Psy.D., R.Psych., Derrick Klaassen, Ph.D., and Manal Guirguis-Younger, Ph.D., R.Psych.

I am also so grateful to have had this opportunity, which, in part, was made possible by the Professional Development Scholarship, which supports students with funding for their participation in specialized conferences. Without this, I may not have been able to attend.

I hope this motivates my fellow Adlerian peers to get more involved in psychological research and grab their bags and passport for the upcoming CPA 2025 in Saint John’s, Newfoundland.

Yasmin is a second-year student in the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) program at Adler University. She is a Vancouver native and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of British Columbia. She then went on to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Behaviour Analysis and her Master’s of Science in Applied Psychology from Trinity College Dublin. In terms of goals, professionally, she aspires to one day specialize in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) assessment and, personally, she looks forward to setting up a life here in Vancouver. In her spare time, she loves to hit the gym or a yoga class and spend time with her family.