Is phosphodiesterase inhibition a new mechanism of antidepressant action? A double blind double-dummy study between rolipram and desipramine in hospitalized major and/or endogenous depressives.

Unlike conventional antidepressants, rolipram (a new approach in the treatment of depression) stimulates both the presynaptic and the postsynaptic component of monoaminergic transmission. Several double blind trials are under way to assess the clinical efficacy and safety of this compound. The present study was a randomized, 4-week interindividual double blind double-dummy comparison with desipramine in inpatients with major (DSM-III) and/or endogenous (ICD-9) depressions.

[Preliminary results of a double-blind study between rolipram and desipramine in hospitalized patients with major depressive symptoms].

Rolipram facilitates the postsynaptic neurotransmission of NA through a completely new mechanism of action, namely, an inhibition of the inactivation of the second messenger (the cyclic AMP) by phosphodiesterase. In the present study, Rolipram is compared to a classical tricyclic antidepressant which facilitates the NA transmission through an inhibition of its presynaptic reuptake: Desipramine. Preliminary results on 12 Rolipram patients vs.