Impact of early administration of sertraline on cognitive and behavioral recovery in the first year after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of sertraline administered in the first 3 months after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in improving cognitive and behavioral outcomes.

Design: Double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Academic medical center.

Impact of early administration of sertraline on depressive symptoms in the first year after traumatic brain injury.

The potential for sertraline administered in the first 3 months after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) to decrease the incidence of depression in the first year after injury was assessed in a double-blinded randomized control trial. Subjects were enrolled an average of 21 days after injury (none >8 weeks) followed by oral administration of placebo (50 subjects) or sertraline 50 mg (49 subjects) for 3 months. Subjects were not depressed at the time of study initiation.