Statins May Not Be Good for Your Memory, Study Suggests
For the first time, research has backed the anecdotal evidence that statins – drugs taken to lower cholesterol, may affect memory. Published in the journal PloS One, scientists from the University of Bristol found a link between commonly prescribed statins and memory impairment.
The researchers administered pravastatin and atorvostatin (two of the most commonly prescribed drugs) on lab mice for 18 days, with a dose similar to what humans would normally take. The mice were tested before and after the treatment using a simple learning task. On the last day, and one week after, the lab mice were again tested for their ability to recognise a previously encountered object, also called recognition memory.
Findings show that rats that received pravastatin had impaired learning abilities over the last few days of treatment, although this effect was completely reversed when they no longer take the drug. Still, the pravastatin affected the subjects’ recognition memory. Meanwhile, no effect was seen in rats that received atorvostatin, in either task.
The study suggests that chronic treatment with pravastatin leads to impaired working and recognition memory, but these effects can be reversed. However, the lack of effect of atorvostatin suggests that some types of statin may be more likely to cause cognitive impairment than others.
"This finding is novel and likely reflects both the anecdotal reports and FDA advice. What is most interesting is that it is not a feature of all statins. However, in order to better understand the relationship between statin treatment and cognitive function, further studies are needed." said lead author Neil Marrion, Professor of Neuroscience at Bristol’s School of Physiology and Pharmacology in the Faculty of Medical and Veterinary Sciences.
Between 6 and 7 million people in the UK take statins daily. These drugs work by lowering the amount of cholesterol the cells produce, which forces them to get their supply from the bloodstream. As a result, the cholesterol circulating in the arteries is reduced. Statins are prescribed to people who already had a heart attack, as well as healthy individuals who are at risk of heart disease.
This is not the first time that scientists found evidence supporting the potential health risks of statin use. In one study published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology, researchers found that the drug may increase the risk of cataract. Another study by Canadian researchers and published in the British Medical Journal, suggests that atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, and simvastatin may increase type 2 diabetes risk. The US Food & Drug Administration also announced that some patients using statins report cognitive problems such as memory loss, forgetfulness and confusion, and thus insisted that all manufacturers list these side effects on their product labels.
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