Fluoxetine – a popular antidepressant – can stimulate the production of new neurons in the cortex of adults, researchers report in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
A research team from Fujita Health University in Aichi (Japan), led by Dr. Tsuyoshi Miyaka, some time ago, conducted a study that showed that neural progenitor cells (called L1-INP) are still present on the surface of the cortex of adults, which can then transform into various types of brain cells.
Scientists have also proved that cerebral ischemia causes increased production of new neurons from progenitor cells (the so-called inhibitory ones). However, it has hitherto not been known whether L1-INP dependent neurogenesis can also occur in the “normal” cortex under physiological conditions.
Dr. Miyakawa and his colleagues decided to use fluoxetine to stimulate the production of new neurons from L1-INP cells. Fluoxetine is a drug from the group of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. It is one of the most used antidepressants in the world. It is also used in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders and bulimia nervosa.
Also check: Which drugs contain fluoxetine?
The Japanese experiment showed that a significant proportion of the newly developed neurons belonged to the group of GABAergic inhibitory messenger neurons, and their production was associated with a reduction in apoptotic cell death caused by ischemia. Administration of fluoxetine resulted in an increase in the number of new cells in all cortical regions examined in a dose-dependent manner. This result, according to the researchers, indicates a neuroprotective effect of this drug.
Miyakawa emphasizes that the obtained results are further evidence that the appropriate induction of neurogenesis in the cortex of adults can be used to prevent or treat many neurodegenerative diseases and mental disorders.
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