The nutraceutical creatine monohydrate was associated with increased verbal fluency scores, when used as an adjunctive treatment in a small study on patients with bipolar depression.

Researchers in Brazil conducted the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial over 6 weeks. Their findings have been published online in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

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The study had 18 participants, who had been diagnosed with bipolar depression using DSM-IV criteria. The treatment group was given 6g/day of creatine monohydrate as an adjunctive treatment.

Participants took took five neuropsychological tests at the beginning and end of the study: the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Digit Span subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition, Stroop Color and Word Test, Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test, and the FAS Verbal Fluency Test. The treatment group showed statistically significant improvement on the verbal fluency test. No significant differences were found between the groups on scores from the other tests.

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The researchers said the trial was the first to investigate the cognitive effects of creatine monohydrate in patients with bipolar depression.

“Depressive episodes and cognitive impairment are major causes of morbidity and dysfunction in individuals suffering from bipolar disorder,” the investigators wrote. “Novel treatment approaches that target clinical and cognitive aspects of bipolar depression are needed, and research on pathophysiology suggests that mitochondrial modulators such as the nutraceutical creatine monohydrate might have a therapeutic role for this condition.”

—Terri Airov

Reference

Toniolo RA, de Brito Ferreira Fernandes F, Silva M, da Silva Dias R, Lafer B. Cognitive effects of creatine monohydrate adjunctive therapy in patients with bipolar depression: Results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2016 November 19;[Epub ahead of print].