Anti-depressant Could Slow Alzheimer's Disease Progression; Study Finds

Citalopram - a common anti-depressant - can help slow the onset of Alzheimer's disease, researchers say.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues, found that the anti-depressant works by stopping the growth of a protein called amyloid beta or A-beta.

Previously, research showed that the protein clumps together in the brain. Excess amounts of A-beta, along with another protein called tau, leads to the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers conducted tests on both genetically-altered mice and human subjects and found that citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), reduces the level of the protein in the brain.

Citalopram, sold under the brand names Celexa and Cipramil, works by increasing the amount of serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps control mental balance. Related studies have shown that the drug can reduce agitation in people with Alzheimer's disease.

"Our previous studies have shown an association between anti-depressants and the reduction in amyloid burden in the brain," said Yvette Sheline, MD, professor of Psychiatry, Radiology and Neurology at Penn's Perelman School of Medicine, according to a news release.

"Those studies examined a retrospective co-relation between the duration of the anti-depressant use and amyloid burden shown in PET scans of the brains of elderly volunteers. With this new study we took our research a step further and tested the prospective effect of the SSRI citalopram on the CSF amyloid levels in younger, healthy subjects," Sheline added.

For the latest study, researchers bred mice with a certain mutation that led to the development of Alzheimer's disease. The mice were then fed citalopram. The team found that rodents that were given the drug showed a significant drop in amyloid beta. Two months later, the test mice hadn't developed any new cluster of the protein, BBC reported.

In another double blind study, researchers gave 60 mg citalopram to 23 healthy human subjects aged between 18 and 50 years. The team found that the drug was associated with a 38 percent lower A-beta concentration when compared to placebo.

Dr James Pickett, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, told BBC that the study was an interesting one and that using an approved drug to slow the progression of AD could help millions of people.

However, he warned that the study didn't use a large sample size and that none of the human subjects were over 50 years.

The study was funded by NIH, Washington University Hope Center for Neurological Diseases and Washington University Biomedical Mass Spectrometry Resource and is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.