ACTRIMS 2026 | Antidepressant use and the relationship between disease duration and depression in MS

So we know that with prolonged disease duration in multiple sclerosis, on average, it is accompanied by increases in neuroimaging abnormalities, increases in physical disability and cognitive dysfunction. But studies to date have been equivocal about the link between disease duration and depressive symptoms. We hypothesized that this was due to not accounting for the potential influence of antidepressant use in people with multiple sclerosis. So in a large cohort of approximately one thousand individuals with multiple sclerosis, we evaluated this relationship, finding that in the absence of antidepressant use, increased disease duration is associated with an increase in depressive symptoms, while in the presence of antidepressants, we don’t see that relationship. So it appears as though antidepressant use may be associated with an attenuated relationship between disease duration and depressive symptoms. In addition to fitting with the broader literature in MS, where it’s already been demonstrated, as I mentioned before, this association between increased disease duration and physical disability, cognitive dysfunction, and now depressive symptoms, it also suggests the need for further studies to evaluate whether antidepressants may buffer against the impact of multiple sclerosis and reduce the risk of depression in this population. More studies are needed on that.

This transcript is AI-generated. While we strive for accuracy, please verify this copy with the video.