ADHD drugs could cure ALZHEIMER’S: Scientists say there’s ‘good evidence’

Research suggests that common drugs given to hyperactive children may also treat Alzheimer’s disease.

According to one review, dementia patients given ADHD medications like Ritalin saw significant improvements in cognitive and brain function.

The drugs are thought to be a good combination, as they activate an area of ​​the brain that affects things like attention, learning, and memory.

British researchers looked at 19 studies involving nearly 2,000 patients who were 40 years old, most of whom were between 65 and 80 years old.

Participants who took noradrenergic drugs saw a “small but significant” improvement in general cognition, including memory, verbal fluency and language.

The team also found that the drugs affected behavior, making patients less disinterested and less motivated.

Researchers from Imperial College London, the University of Cambridge and University College London are calling for more clinical trials of the drugs’ effect on Alzheimer’s. They say there is “good evidence” that the drugs can help.

The team analyzed 19 studies published between 1980 and 2021 that looked at the effect of ADHD medications on people with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment.

Medicines given to patients between two weeks and one year – aiming business norepinephrine is a chemical released by a network of specialized neurons in the body.

This network is critical for many cognitive processes, including attention, learning, memory, and suppression of inappropriate behavior.

According to the study, the drugs had no effect on attention. But there were minor improvements in general cognition and a “huge positive effect” on signs of apathy.

Commenting on the results, Dr. Mark Dallas, associate professor of cellular neuroscience at the University of Reading, said repurposing existing drugs to treat dementia is an “exciting prospect”.

He said the review, published online in the Journal of Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, is “an interesting teaser that drugs used to manage other conditions can help combat dementia.”

Dr Andrew Reid, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Nottingham, said the study shows “a promising new avenue of research” because it suggests “a way of identifying people at risk and treating them much sooner than is currently possible.” ‘.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, affecting over half a million people in the UK and around 6 million in the US.

The disease causes brain cell death and changes in parts of the brain, including the noradrenergic system.

Dr. Rosa Sancho, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “There is currently a lack of approved drugs to treat Alzheimer’s apathy, a symptom associated with a lower quality of life, faster decline and increased stress.

This well-performed meta-analysis highlights the potential for noradrenergic drugs to treat some aspects of Alzheimer’s disease, but the quality of evidence in the studies reviewed here differs and it is difficult to directly compare the results of each study as the methods used are different. consistent.

“We are not yet sure of the impact these drugs have on a person’s daily life, and we also do not know whether the benefits they provide outweigh the risks.”

Like any medication, ADHD medications can have side effects. The most common are loss of appetite and difficulty sleeping.

Less common side effects include irritability, irritability, moodiness, headache, stomachache, rapid heartbeat, and high blood pressure.