Free Republic

A widely used antidepressant drug could help the immune system fight cancer, according to a new research study. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, significantly enhanced the ability of T cells to fight cancer and suppressed tumor growth across a range of cancer types in both mouse and human tumor models found. Yang and her team first began investigating serotonin's role in fighting cancer after noticing that immune cells isolated from tumors had higher levels of serotonin-regulating molecules. The researchers tested SSRIs in mouse and human tumor models representing melanoma, breast, prostate, colon and bladder cancer. They found that SSRI...

New research suggests that antidepressants can accelerate cognitive decline in people with dementia. At the same time, some drugs appear to be less harmful than others, which can help doctors make better treatment decisions. Antidepressants are often used to relieve symptoms such as anxiety, depression, aggressiveness, and sleep disturbances in dementia sufferers. However, a new observational study based on data from the Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem) shows that patients with dementia who are treated with antidepressants experience an increased cognitive decline compared to patients who do not receive this medication. The study is based on a comprehensive analysis of registry...

An antidepressant drug appears to deter the formation of amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published today (May 14) in Science Translational Medicine. A team led by Yvette Sheline of the University of Pennsylvania studied the effects of citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), on mice and a small group of people.Amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles can be found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, but it’s not clear if the plaques are precursors to neurodegenerative problems or an effect of them. Citalopram, which is marketed as Celexa and Cipramil, is typically used to treat...