SSRIs reduce plasma tau and restore dorsal raphe metabolism in Alzheimer's disease.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Tau pathology impacts neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD), with the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) being among the brain regions showing the earliest tau pathology. As a serotonergic hub, DRN activity is altered by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which also have variable effects on cognitive decline and pathology in AD.

Methods

We examined N = 191 subjects with baseline ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and plasma biomarker data to study the effects of SSRIs on tau pathology, cognitive decline, and DRN metabolism.

Results

Plasma phosphorylated tau 181 (p-tau181) was lower with SSRI use. The effect of SSRIs on cognition varied by cognitive assessment. The DRN was hypometabolic in AD

SUBMITTER: Terstege DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11814539 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature