Simvastatin and Emotional Processing (OxSTEP)

Summary

Simvastatin is being employed because it is a 'statin'. As a drug class, statins have broad anti-inflammatory properties. Low-level inflammation is thought to be a potentially important mediator of the effects of psychosocial stress (including loneliness) on affect and vulnerability to depression. In this study we are using statins as an experimental tool to investigate this relationship further. Statins are widely prescribed agents that are regarded as very safe and so are suitable tools in this context. We have selected simvastatin because it is one of the most widely used statins and has an excellent safety profile, being also available 'over the counter'.

Timeline

Start

2021-07-05

Primary completion

2023-02-16

Completion

2023-02-16

Drugs

Indications