Researchers have found that SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressants have the potential to improve certain cognitive functions, such as verbal memory. They measured brain function in patients before and after taking the SSRI, escitalopram, and correlated this to a drop in the level of one of the serotonin receptors in the brain and to cognitive improvements during treatment. This work was presented for the first time at the ECNP Conference in Milan, after publication in the journal Biological Psychiatry.
Serotonin is often described as a 'feel good' chemical, and higher levels of serotonin circulating in the brain contribute to a sense of well-being, and can ease clinical depression in most sufferers. There are several serotonin receptors in the brain, and all will serve to regulate well-being by regulating circulating serotonin's interaction with the brain. However, this work concentrated on only one serotonin receptor , the 5-HT 4 receptor.
The researchers began by scanning the brains of 90 depressed patients, to measure the quantity of 5-HT 4 receptor which serotonin binds to. At the same time, patients were given a series of tests to measure mood and cognitive abilities . Patients were given daily doses of escitalopram, and at the end of an eight-week period, 40 patients were rescanned to measure the quantity of 5-HT 4 receptor in the brain.
The mood of the patients had improved, but the team also found that the levels of 5-HT 4 receptor had dropped b.