Scientists from Johns Hopkins University have found that decreased levels of serotonin in the brain may contribute to cognitive decline in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The study was published on: Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (JAD).
The authors compared MRI and PET scans of the brains of 49 patients with mild memory or thinking impairments and 45 healthy people aged 55 and older. Mild memory impairment often occurs before the development of Alzheimer’s disease and includes frequent forgetting of recent events, difficulty finding words, and loss of the sense of smell. People can stay in this stage for a long time.
The study found that levels of the serotonin transporter protein were 25% lower in the brains of people with memory impairment. This change was especially noticed in areas of the brain responsible for executive functions, emotions and memory. They also had more beta-amyloid protein in their brains, which previous studies have linked to symptoms of dementia.
Serotonin is a chemical in the brain that regulates mood, appetite and sleep. Targeting serotonin transporter proteins with antidepressants may improve symptoms in patients with early-onset dementia, scientists say. However, they note that their study shows a correlation between low serotonin levels and memory problems, but does not prove a cause-effect relationship.
“If we can prove that loss of serotonin over time is directly related to the transition from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease, newly developed antidepressants could be an effective way to improve memory deficits and depressive symptoms, thus becoming a powerful way to slow brain disease in the brain.” progression of dementia,” the authors concluded.
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