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Simple drugs negatively affect the brain
Many people take medicines, so-called anticholinergics, against all sorts of health problems, such as colds, allergies and heart disease. But these drugs not only have positive effects on our body. They can also cause cognitive impairment. In addition, scientists found a link with dementia diseases.
Researchers have now found in an investigation that taking anticholinergic drugs can have a negative impact on our health. The physicians at the Indiana University School of Medicine tried to better understand the links between the drugs and emerging complications. Their findings were published in the journal "Journal of the American Medical Association" (JAMA)..
Scientists found that anticholinergics change our brain. This causes cognitive impairment and the development of dementia is favored. (Image: freshidea / fotolia.com) Anticholinergics affects our nervous system
There are many medications that are commonly used in today's society to treat conditions such as colds, allergies, depression, high blood pressure, and heart disease. However, the use of such drugs can lead to cognitive impairment and support dementia, experts warn. The scientists from the Indiana University School of Medicine were looking for evidence to better understand this relationship.
The list of drugs involved is long. Anticholinergics inhibits a chemical called acetylcholine, which then no longer functions properly in our nervous system, say the scientists. Usually, this chemical is involved in controlling body functions. As a result, the drug is able to alleviate, for example, unpleasant gastrointestinal disorders. In addition, it can help with respiratory problems, explain the doctors.
Anticholinergics reduce our brain volume and affect memory
There are many other drugs that affect our cognitive performance, such as the allergy drug Benadryl, the antidepressant Paxil and the antipsychotic Zyprexa, the cold medicine Dimetapp and the sleeping pill Unisom, the authors explain. In the new study, researchers examined the brain scans and cognitive test scores of 451 older volunteers. None of the subjects suffered from cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's or dementia. However, when patients used anticholinergics, there was less brain glucose processing, an indicator of brain activity, say the experts.
The affected area of the brain is associated with the storage of memories and also he is affected relatively early by an onset of Alzheimer's disease. In addition, patients who used this drug showed reduced brain volume in regions associated with cognitive function. Such subjects achieved lower scores in memory-based tests.
Anticholinergics can lead to cognitive problems later in life
The use of anticholinergic drugs has medical benefits that may outweigh cognitive risks, explains lead author Dr. Shannon Risacher of the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. However, if alternative therapies are available to effectively treat these conditions, doctors and patients could avoid the use of anticholinergics, says the doctor. There is an increasing body of evidence that anticholinergics can lead to cognitive problems later in life. The findings should encourage physicians and patients to discuss these medications. The use of such drugs should be limited if there are alternatives that do not cause cognitive decline, adds the author.
Problem patients should prefer alternative treatments
Since pathology has established that a negative effect of anticholinergic drugs on cognitive function increases only over the years, patients can certainly benefit from a short-term use of the drugs, say the doctors. But in the long run, the cognitive damage should not be ignored. The situation is different, of course, if the life of the patient depends on a long-term intake of the drugs, then later cognitive risks would have to be neglected, the experts explain. However, healthier patients who have had cases of dementia in their family in the past should be extra cautious and prefer alternative treatments, the researchers warn. (As)