Researchers have now found that using the antidepressant drug SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) can help improve brain function, particularly verbal memory.
SSRIs are used to treat a range of mental health conditions, including depression and various anxiety disorders. They increase serotonin levels in the brain, helping to improve mood, sleep, and mood regulation. After serotonin transmits a message, it is usually reabsorbed by nerve cells, a process called “reuptake.” SSRIs block this reuptake, thereby increasing the availability of serotonin to send more messages between nearby nerve cells.
the latest one study The study, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, examined brain scans of 90 people with depression, focusing on 5HT4 receptors, a key site in the brain where serotonin binds. While there are multiple serotonin receptors in the brain that all play a role in regulating health, this study specifically focused on the 5HT4 receptor.
The researchers also conducted a series of tests to measure the participants' mood and cognitive abilities after taking escitalopram, an SSRI drug, daily for eight weeks. At the end of the trial, 40 patients were rescanned to estimate the number of 5HT4 receptors in their brains.
As the patients' mood improved, the team also noticed that levels of 5HT4 receptors dropped by about 9%. This may be due to adaptation to increased serotonin levels.
However, when patients took cognitive tests, they noticed improvements in performance, especially in their ability to recall single words, suggesting that fewer 5HT4 receptors were associated with better cognitive outcomes.
“It appears that SSRI drugs help improve cognitive function while also helping to improve mood. Our work links improvements in cognitive function to specific 5HT4 receptors and suggests that direct stimulation of serotonin 4 receptors may be an important motivating factor. Press release.
“This is the first result, so we need to do more work to study the impact. Poor cognitive function is difficult to treat effectively and may require additional treatments. This work points to the possibility of stimulating this specific receptor , so that we can treat cognitive problems, even regardless of whether the patient has overcome the core symptoms of depression,” said co-researcher Vibe Froekjaer.