Trial reportThe international journal of neuropsychopharmacology2022
Effects of Sodium Benzoate, a D-Amino Acid Oxidase Inhibitor, on Perceived Stress and Cognitive Function Among Patients With Late-Life Depression: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sertraline- and Placebo-Controlled Trial.
Trial report in The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03414931 (NMDA Modulation in Major Depressive Disorder in Late- Life), which is not on this map. Cited by 19 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
NMDA Modulation in Major Depressive Disorder in Late- Life
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Gender-specific effects of sodium benzoate on cognitive improvement in individuals with dementia: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Antidepressants and Psychotherapy Commonly Used in the Treatment of Late Life Depression for Their Effects on Cognition.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Antidepressants available in Japan for older people with major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of sodium benzoate on cognitive function in neuropsychiatric disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Endogenous antioxidants predicted outcome and increased after treatment: A benzoate dose-finding, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial for Alzheimer's disease.Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2023Trial
- Superoxide dismutase and glutathione interact to determine cognitive outcome among people with subjective cognitive decline (SCD): a prospective study.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Article
- D-serine: A Multitalented Neuromodulator in Brain Function, Systemic Homeostasis, and Disease.Cellular and molecular neurobiology · 2026Review
- The Comparative Efficacy of Antidepressant and Psychological Therapies on Cognition in Depression: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.Neuropsychology review · 2025Review
- Interpretable machine learning to evaluate relationships between DAO/DAOA (pLG72) protein data and features in clinical assessments, functional outcome, and cognitive function in schizophrenia patients.Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2025Article
- A stratified precision medicine trial targeting αNature. Mental health · 2025Article
- The association of vitamin deficiency with depression risk in late-life depression: a review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Review
- Therapeutic potential of D-amino acid oxidase inhibitors for cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia: learnings from luvadaxistat.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2024Review
- Serotonin in depression and Alzheimer's disease: Focus on SSRI's beneficial effects.Ageing research reviews · 2024Review
- Herbal Cannabis and Depression: A Review of Findings Published over the Last Three Years.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- The Effect of Sodium Benzoate on Host Health: Insight into Physiological Indexes and Gut Microbiota.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Major depression, physical health and molecular senescence markers abnormalities.Nature. Mental health · 2023Article
- Late-life depression: Epidemiology, phenotype, pathogenesis and treatment before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Review
- Targeting D-Amino Acid Oxidase (DAAO) for the Treatment of Schizophrenia: Rationale and Current Status of Research.CNS drugs · 2022Article
- Glutamatergic System in Depression and Its Role in Neuromodulatory Techniques Optimization.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCompared with adults with depression in the general population, elderly depressive patients are prone to poor treatment response, more side effects, and early withdrawal with current antidepressants (which principally modulate monoamines). Whether N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor enhancement can benefit treatment of late-life depression deserves study. This study aims to compare sodium benzoate (a D-amino acid oxidase inhibitor and an indirect N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor enhancer), sertraline (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), and placebo in the treatment of late-life depression.
methodsIn this randomized, double-blind trial, 117 patients with major depressive disorder aged 55 years or older received 8-week treatment of 250-1500 mg/d of sodium benzoate, 25-150 mg/d of sertraline, or placebo in 2 medical centers. The primary outcome measures were Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Perceived Stress Scale scores.
resultsThree treatments similarly decreased clinicians-rated Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores. Compared with placebo, sodium benzoate but not sertraline substantially improved Perceived Stress Scale scores and cognitive function. Sertraline, but not benzoate, significantly reduced self-report Geriatric Depression Scale scores. Benzoate and placebo showed similar safety profiles, while sertraline was more likely to raise low-density lipoprotein than benzoate and placebo. Benzoate-treated patients were less likely to drop out than sertraline or placebo recipients.
conclusionsSertraline can reduce subjective depressive symptoms, while benzoate can decrease perceived stress, improve cognitive function, and enhance treatment adherence in late-life depression patients. The results show promise for D-amino acid oxidase inhibition as a novel approach for perceived stress and cognitive decline among patients with late-life depression.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03414931. Registered January 2016.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.