What is it about?
Trazodone is widely used to improve sleep. Trazodone also appears to slow down Alzheimer progression. The possible mechanisms of trazodone in Alzheimer's disease are discussed.
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Why is it important?
There are over 50 million individuals suffering from Alzheimer's disease around the World, over 5 million in the US (note that CDC data in 2016 listed Alzheimer's disease as the leading cause of death of women over 75 years of age in the US), with no sign of any significant treatment currently or even having significant promise. However, trazodone,a generic medication, which is already extensively used for sleep problems, may slow Alzheimer progression substantially, by as much as two and a half times. This finding needs to be replicated. If the finding is correct. many millions of individuals could be protected from Alzheimer's disease and understanding mechanisms related to the effect of this drug could lead to widespread prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
Perspectives
There has been tremendous failure in the search for a treatment for Alzheimer's disease, mostly because of a lack of perception of what the mechanism is by which the disease is caused. This article discusses a potentially pivotal study in this issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, by La et al., including several major leaders in this field. The study suggests that a widely available medication, trazodone, may greatly slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. If true, this finding will totally change the field of Alzheimer's disease treatment and could lead to understanding which would prevent this disease.
J. Wesson Ashford
Stanford University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease: Trazodone, Sleep, Serotonin, Norepinephrine, and Future Directions, Journal of Alzheimer s Disease, February 2019, IOS Press,
DOI: 10.3233/jad-181106.
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