The antidepressant could "improve old age for millions of people" by slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease

An existing antidepressant could "improve the old age of millions of people" by slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, say scientists at the University of Cambridge.

The first human trials will begin later this year to determine if trazodone can protect against the development of neurodegenerative conditions.

The drug is already licensed in the UK for the treatment of depression but has never been used before as a potential treatment for dementia.

If the first tests on healthy humans are successful, the researchers will then test the drug on patients with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

They expect to confirm if there is effective treatment within five years.

An antidepressant could slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

And, as the existing drug has already been proven, it could be made available to patients as an NHS-approved treatment much more quickly than newly developed drugs.

Lead scientist Giovanna Mallucci, of the UK's Dementia Research Institute, said the drug would boost protein production levels that protect against brain cell death – a process known as protein synthesis .

She said at the 2019 Dementias Conference in London last week: "Delay this process [of brain cell degeneration] will improve old age for millions of people, which I consider a surprisingly good result in the treatment of dementia.

"If we could keep people at the beginning of their cognitive presentation or even just slow down the pace of their decline, I think it would really transform lives."

Degeneration of brain cells is a common factor in dementia and other brain diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and CJD, also known as mad cow disease.

This happens when the cells are stressed and stop producing enough protein, which prevents them from functioning properly and causes cell death.

Professor Mallucci said that the drug would not be a "panacea" or prevent the onset of dementia, but positive results from preliminary studies in cells and mice have suggested that ## 147 ## It may be an effective way to slow the progression of the disease.

Speaking after the conference, she said, "We are doing our first studies to see if trazodone increases protein synthesis rates in humans later this year.

"If studies show that it works in the human brain the same way [as it did in mice], I am really optimistic that we will see an effect in some patients – I would be surprised at the lack of effect.

"I think it will probably work in some people because it was so powerful in the animal model."

Earlier this month, a separate study from University College London and the University of Hong Kong did not reveal any badociation between patients who took trazodone for other conditions. and a reduced risk of developing dementia.

But this study was based on the review of medical records and did not take into account the different doses or the length of time that each patient was taking the medication.

He also examined only the prevention of the disease, not the slowing down of the progression or the relief of the symptoms.

In the UK, 850,000 people are living with dementia, and their numbers are expected to exceed one million by 2025.

Dr. David Reynolds, of Alzheimer's Research UK, said, "We are looking forward to seeing Professor Mallucci's preliminary research on trazodone as an innovative treatment for clinical trials on patients. The results of studies on mice are promising, but what is true in animals is not always in humans.

"Trazodone is an approved antidepressant, already used in some cases to help manage the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

"The best way to know if trazodone could be beneficial for people with dementia is to conduct well-controlled clinical trials."