Escitalopram alleviates stress-induced Alzheimer ’s disease-like tau pathologies and cognitive deficits by reducing HPA-axis reactivity and insulin/GSK-3β signal pathway activity

Chronic stress, a causal factor for depression, can also cause cognitive impairments and tau pathology. However, whether and how the SSRI antidepressant escitalopram ameliorates these effects are still unclear. In the present study, rats were subjected to chronic mild unpredictable stress (CUS) for eight weeks. Following the initial four weeks, the stressed animals were separated into susceptible (depressive) and unsusceptible (resistant) groups based on behavioral tests. Then, escitalopram (10 mg/kg i.p.) was administered for 28 days.
Source: Neurobiology of Aging - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Source Type: research