Summary
Recent research into transgenic mice (and early, small-scale investigations with people) suggests that the anti-depressant citalopram could be used to slow the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease. This work in the United States appears to show that citalopram may counteract a protein involved in building destructive plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s Disease patients.
This research formed an early “proof of concept” study involving only small number of people without Alzheimer’s. The idea is that if the results are successful, the same principles might (in future) be used to slow the progression of the Alzheimer’s Disease, perhaps 10 to 15 years before it becomes apparent.
Reference
Stephens, P. (2014). Anti-depressants ‘could slow onset of Alzheimer’s disease’. London: BBC Health News, May 14th 2014.
This relates to:
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Reference
Sheline, YI. West, T. [and] Yarasheski, K. [et al] (2014). An antidepressant decreases CSF Aβ production in healthy individuals and in transgenic AD mice. Science Translational Medicine, May 14th 2014, Vol.6(236), 236re4. (Click here to view the PubMed abstract).
Possibly of background interest:
Reference
Cirrito, JR. Disabato, BM. [and] Restivo, JL. [et al] (2011). Serotonin signaling is associated with lower amyloid-β levels and plaques in transgenic mice and humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. September 6th 2011, Vol.108(36), pp.14968-73. (Click here to view the PubMed abstract).
