Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by severe disorders in memory, cognition, and motor functions. The exact cause of the disease is still unknown, and effective treatment has not been developed despite the many studies and the allocated budget. However, the majority of studies aim to explain Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis with a focus on the gut-brain axis, neuroinflammation, calcium balance, and energy metabolism, vascular degeneration, recycling mechanism, autophagy, microglial clearance via TREM2, and neurotransmitter systems. Among these systems, the serotonergic system has attracted remarkable interest as a drug target because of its close anatomical and neurochemical relationship with brain regions and its memory-improving function.
The study "Optogenetic Stimulation of Serotonin Nuclei Retrieve the Lost Memory in Alzheimer’s Disease" investigates the effects of alterations in the activation of serotonergic neurons extending from dentate gyrus to many regions of the brain on the Aβ burden and the cognitive functions. The study also discusses whether serotonergic neurons extending to the hippocampus are involved in the process of direct memory formation, storage, and retrieval of memory.
The study suggests that the optogenetics manipulation of serotonin nuclei retrieve the lost memory by closing the inward rectifier potassium channel Kir2 on the memory engram cells. The study also raises the possible effects of serotonin on the memory engram cells and the interactions between the amyloid-centric hypothesis of Alzheimer’s disease and the memory engram hypothesis to explain the pathophysiology of memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease.
In conclusion, the study provides a comprehensive perspective on the role of the serotonergic system in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. It also suggests that the optogenetics manipulation of serotonin nuclei may retrieve the lost memory in Alzheimer’s disease. However, more studies are needed to fully understand the effects of the serotonergic system on Alzheimer's disease and to develop new treatment programs that could change the course of the disease.
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