SSRI restores brain function in Alzheimer’s disease

Summary: A new study suggests that ISRS, commonly prescribed antidepressants, can reduce organic markers of Alzheimer’s disease. In a 191 individual cohort, patients with MA of the SSRIs had lower levels of TAU-181 plasma phosphorylated, a key indicator of the severity of the disease.

Brain analyzes have also shown that SSRIs have restored metabolic activity in the kernel of Dorsal Raphe (DRN), a first tau and serotonin production site. This metabolic recovery was not observed in healthy individuals, suggesting a specific effect for disease.

Key facts:

• Reduced tau biomarkers: AD patients under SSRIs had significantly lower levels of P-TU181, a blood marker from TAU pathology.
• Restored brain activity: The SSRIs have reversed hypometabolism in the kernel of the dorsal raphe, a region rich in serotonin and a first site of the damage of Alzheimer.
• Mixed cognitive effects: While some cognitive scores have improved, the results varied according to different test methods, complicating the conclusions on functional profit.

Source: Neuroscience News

A new study suggests that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (ISRS), a current class of antidepressants, can make mood more than lifting: they could help reduce the biological burden of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Researchers have found that the use of long -term SSRIs in patients with MA is associated with a reduced Tau pathology, a characteristic of the disease and a restored activity in a region of the key brain, although the effects on memory and cognition remain complex.

The core of the dorsal raphe (DRN), a tiny region deep in the brainstem, is one of the first areas to show the accumulation of Tau in the MA. It is also the main source of brain serotonin, the neurotransmitter targeted by the ISRS.

This new research shows that in people with Alzheimer’s, DRN becomes metabolically slow – but SSRI treatment seems to reverse this, strengthening its activity to healthy levels.

The research team analyzed the data of 191 participants in the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), by comparing individuals with and without use ISRS.

They measured a blood biomarker of TAU pathology (TAU-181 phosphorylated, or P-TU181), carried out brain scans of metabolic activity and evaluated cognitive performance through different tests.

They found that patients with MA who used SSRIs had plasma levels of P-Tau181 significantly lower than those who do not take antidepressants. These results suggest a potential protective effect of SSRIs on tau pathology.

Brain imaging has confirmed that DRN in patients with MA is generally hypometabolic – essentially sub -active.

However, patients on Isrs have shown a metabolism of glucose restored in this region, a sign of relaunched neuronal function. This effect was specific to people with the MA; Healthy witness participants have shown no change in DRN’s metabolism with the use of ISRS, perhaps due to regulation of feedback integrated into the serotonin system which reduces unnecessary activity.

Despite these promising biological results, the ISRS impact on cognitive performance has been mixed.

While some patients have better performed on certain cognitive tests (such as the Cognitive Assessment of Montreal, or Moca), others have not shown measurable improvements.

Curiously, the usual correlation between the different cognitive evaluations has broken in ISRS users, which can affect the measurement of cognitive decline, rather than the way it progresses.

The researchers emphasize that it was a transversal study, which means that it cannot prove the cause and the effect. Nor could it take into account the specific types or doses of the SSRIs used, or if the treatment started before or after the symptoms of the MA.

However, these results offer strong support for other clinical trials exploring the calendar, duration and the cognitive impact of SSRI treatment in neurodegenerative diseases.

In summary, this study adds growing evidence that the brain serotonin system is deeply linked to Alzheimer’s pathology.

Although ISRS are mainly prescribed for mood disorders, they can also influence the key processes of Alzheimer’s, including the metabolism of vulnerable brain regions and the propagation of toxic proteins.

While researchers continue to probe the link between mood, memory and chemistry of the brain, ISRS can offer a surprising ally in the fight against cognitive decline.

About this neuropharmacology and news of research on Alzheimer’s disease

Author: Neuroscience News Communications
Source: Neuroscience News
Contact: Neuroscience News Communications – Neuroscience News
Picture: The image is credited with Neuroscience News

Original search: Open access.
“”The SSRIs reduce plasma tau and restore the metabolism of dorsal raphe in Alzheimer’s disease»By Dylan J. Terstege et al. Alzheimer’s and dementia

Abstract

The SSRIs reduce plasma tau and restore the metabolism of dorsal raphe in Alzheimer’s disease

INTRODUCTION

TAU pathology has an impact on neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease (MA), the Dorsal Raphe (DRN) nucleus being among the brain regions showing the first Tau pathology. As a serotonergic center, DRN activity is modified by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (ISRS), which also have variable effects on cognitive decline and pathology in the MA.

Methods

We examined N = 191 subjects with reference ¹⁸Postron emission tomography data and plasma biomarkers to study the effects of SSRIs on tau pathology, cognitive decline and Isrs metabolism.

RESULTS

The TAU 181 Plasma phosphorylated (P-TU181) was lower with the use of SSRS. The effect of ISRS on cognition varied according to cognitive evaluation. DrN was hypometabolic in patients with my compared to healthy witnesses; However, the use of SSRIs has restored metabolic activity in this region in patients with MA.

DISCUSSION

The long -term use of SSRIs can reduce the pathological presentation of the MA but has variable effects on cognitive performance.