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Clinical trials of N-acetylcysteine in psychiatry and neurology: A systematic review.

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Version 2 2024-06-17, 14:08
Version 1 2015-05-14, 09:55
journal contribution
posted on 2024-06-17, 14:08 authored by Deepmala, J Slattery, N Kumar, L Delhey, Michael BerkMichael Berk, Olivia DeanOlivia Dean, C Spielholz, R Frye
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is recognized for its role in acetaminophen overdose and as a mucolytic. Over the past decade, there has been growing evidence for the use of NAC in treating psychiatric and neurological disorders, considering its role in attenuating pathophysiological processes associated with these disorders, including oxidative stress, apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation and glutamate and dopamine dysregulation. In this systematic review we find favorable evidence for the use of NAC in several psychiatric and neurological disorders, particularly autism, Alzheimer's disease, cocaine and cannabis addiction, bipolar disorder, depression, trichotillomania, nail biting, skin picking, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, drug-induced neuropathy and progressive myoclonic epilepsy. Disorders such as anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and mild traumatic brain injury have preliminary evidence and require larger confirmatory studies while current evidence does not support the use of NAC in gambling, methamphetamine and nicotine addictions and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Overall, NAC treatment appears to be safe and tolerable. Further well designed, larger controlled trials are needed for specific psychiatric and neurological disorders where the evidence is favorable.

History

Journal

Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews

Volume

55

Pagination

294-321

Location

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Open access

  • Yes

ISSN

0149-7634

eISSN

1873-7528

Language

eng

Publication classification

C Journal article, C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2015, Elsevier

Publisher

Elsevier