Subject terms
depressive disorder, MDD, OCD, obsessive-compulsive disorder
MAY, COLD
Several studies of the effects on cognition of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), administered either acutely or sub-chronically in healthy volunteers, have found changes in learning and reinforcement outcomes. In contrast, to our knowledge, there have been no studies of chronic effects of escitalopram on cognition in healthy volunteers. This is important in view of its clinical use in major depressive disorder (MDD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Consequently, we aimed to investigate the chronic effect of the SSRI, escitalopram, on measures of ‘cold’ cognition (including inhibition, cognitive flexibility, memory) and ‘hot cognition’ including decision-making and particularly reinforcement learning. The study, conducted at the University of Copenhagen between May 2020 and October 2021, used a double-blind placebo-controlled design with 66 healthy volunteers, semi-randomised to receive either 20 mg of escitalopram (