Antidepressant slows patient decline.

• Position: Alzheimer's Disease - Brief Article

The drug Zoloft, commonly used for depression, also improves quality of life and alleviates disruption in daily activities for the one-quarter of Alzheimer's patients who also suffer from major depression, maintain researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. However, the drug does not improve patients' cognitive abilities, such as thinking remembering, and learning, which are often impaired in Alzheimer's disease cases.

"Depression in Alzheimer's patients, and even Alzheimer's disease itself, often goes undiagnosed, in part because doctors feel they have little to offer in the form of treatment. This study shows that a simple treatment for depression improves the quality of life and seems to slow the functional decline of Alzheimer's disease," conveys Constantine Lyketsos, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.

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