The dopamine agonist pramipexole (PPX) has been receiving increasing attention as a potential treatment for those with depression. However, so far there is only preliminary support for the antidepressant and anti-anhedonic effects of this medication as few trials of PPX have been carried out. Further, there is limited understanding of the mechanisms by which these effects of PPX are mediated.
This symposium reviews new data that will provide further evidence of the efficacy of PPX in those with depression and provide a deeper understanding of the associated mechanisms. Data from 4 trials of PPX will be presented including: 1) A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of pramipexole augmentation indicating therapeutic effects on depression and anhedonia; 2) a randomised, experimental medicine neuroimaging study of pramipexole in non-clinical participants, 3) a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial of 82 patients with anhedonia in the setting of a mood disorder indicating therapeutic effects on anhedonia; 4) an open-label study (N=26 with depression and N=26 healthy controls) of PPX including PET, fMRI during a reinforcement learning task, and the probabilistic reward task demonstrating that individuals with relatively preserved phasic reward signalling but reduced D3 receptor availability are likely to experience more improvement in anhedonia and depression with PPX therapy.
Learning objectives
By the end of this webinar you will be able to:
• understand the current evidence that central dopaminergic function can predict the outcomes of dopaminergic treatments for depression
• understand the current evidence for the efficacy and side effects of dopamine agonist treatment in depression
• understand the current theories of mechanism of action of dopaminergic treatments in depression".
Speakers
Chair: Professor Michael Browning, University of Oxford, Oxford
Professor Alexis Whitton, Black Dog Institute, Australia
Associate Professor Daniel Lindqvist, University of Lund, Sweden
Professor Michael Browning, University of Oxford, Oxford
Funding
RCPsych International Congress is financially supported by the purchase of exhibition stand packages. A full list of confirmed exhibitors can be found here: Exhibiting Organisations at International Congress 2026
Availability
This webinar is part of the Congress webinar 2026 package. If you attended all four days of Congress, you will have access to these as part of your Congress package. Otherwise the Congress webinar 2026 package can be purchased below.
