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[Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists: a new pharmacological treatment option for psychiatric illnesses?]
Hubertus Himmerich. Der Nervenarzt, 2025-03-05
Topic: Gut, metabolism and diet
Albiglutide, dulaglutide, exenatide, liraglutide, lixisenatide, orforglipron and semaglutide are glucagon-like peptide‑1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. Tirzepatide targets not only GLP‑1 but also glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) receptors and retatrutide is a triple GLP‑1, GIP and glucagon receptor agonist. The GLP‑1 receptor agonists increase insulin release but suppress glucagon release. They slow down the emptying of the stomach and thus prevent blood sugar spikes. They reduce appetite and food intake. In the brain GLP‑1 receptor agonists lead to a better glycemic control and they appear to have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. It has been reported that GLP‑1 receptor agonists reduce oxidative stress and apoptosis, lower the risk of ischemia and promote neurogenesis. The GLP‑1 receptor agonists can also influence dopaminergic signal transduction in the nucleus accumbens. Therefore, they could modify the effect of cocaine, alcohol and nicotine. Preliminary investigations provide indications of the therapeutic benefits of GLP‑1 receptor agonists for people with dementia, eating disorders, psychopharmacologically induced weight gain, depression, anxiety and substance use disorders. Typical accompanying adverse reactions are gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, eructation and gastroesophageal reflux. More severe side effects include pancreatitis, allergic reactions, renal function disorders and possibly an increased risk of thyroid cancer.
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APA 7th
Himmerich, H. (2025). [Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists: a new pharmacological treatment option for psychiatric illnesses?]. Der Nervenarzt. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00115-025-01813-x
Vancouver
Himmerich H. [Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists: a new pharmacological treatment option for psychiatric illnesses?]. Der Nervenarzt. 2025. doi:10.1007/s00115-025-01813-x. PMID: 40042613.
BibTeX
@article{himmerich2025-40042613,
author = {Himmerich, Hubertus},
title = {{[Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists: a new pharmacological treatment option for psychiatric illnesses?]}},
journal = {Der Nervenarzt},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1007/s00115-025-01813-x},
pmid = {40042613},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00115-025-01813-x}
}
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Key findings
- More severe side effects include pancreatitis, allergic reactions, renal function disorders and possibly an increased risk of thyroid cancer.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 43 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Der Nervenarzt) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40042613) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 24 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 43 out of 100. |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
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