Postmortem serotoninergic correlates of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease

Serotonin(1A) receptor density and serotonin concentration were measured in the postmortem neocortex of 17 AD patients who had been prospectively assessed every four months with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for a mean of 2.6 years till death. In the frontal cortex, serotonin levels correlated negatively with the annual rate of MMSE decline, while serotonin(1A) receptor density was positively correlated with the rate of MMSE decline. Our study suggests that reduced serotonin levels and increased serotonin(1A) receptor density are markers for accelerated cognitive decline in AD, and provides support for the use of serotonin(1A) antagonists in the treatment of AD.