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A new paper in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry discusses how GLP-1RAs, drugs approved for diabetes and obesity, may play a role in the treatment of major neurocognitive disorders such as dementia.
Researchers from the University of Oxford, supported by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, have conducted an extensive review and appraisal of studies of GLP-1RAs (such as semaglutide, better known as Ozempic/Wegovy) that are relevant to cognitive problems.
First, they reviewed evidence about the neuroprotective mechanisms of GLP-1RAs, mainly from pre-clinical studies, but with an emphasis on the few human studies available, looking at brain energy homeostasis, neurogenesis, synaptic functioning, neuroinflammation and other cellular stress responses, pathological protein aggregates, proteostasis, cerebrovascular system and blood-brain barrier dynamics.
Then, across 50+ clinical studies in major neurocognitive disorders including Alzheimer's dementia, Parkinson’s disease & Lewy-body dementia, and other cognitive deficits, despite some inconsistencies and translational gaps, they found that the overall evidence seems encouraging and possibly even suggestive of GLP-1RAs’ disease-modifying properties in dementia.
Finally, they proposed a list of challenges and perspectives for research and clinical practice for GLP-1RAs including brain penetrance, biomarkers, disease stage-based indication, non- specific effects on brain health, adverse events and other unwanted effects, long- term data, cost and availability of treatment.
Read the full story on the Department of Psychiatry website.