Brain Scans Link Physical Changes to Cognitive Risks of Widely Used Class of Drugs (IMAGE)

Indiana University

Brain Scans Link Physical Changes to Cognitive Risks of Widely Used Class of Drugs

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Older adults might want to avoid a using class of drugs commonly used in over-the-counter products such as nighttime cold medicines due to their links to cognitive impairment, a research team led by Shannon Risacher, Ph.D., and other scientists at Indiana University School of Medicine has recommended. Using brain imaging techniques, the researchers found lower metabolism and reduced brain sizes among study participants taking the drugs known to have an anticholinergic effect, meaning they block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter.

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Indiana University School of Medicine

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