A possible effect of montelukast on neurological aging examined by the use of register data

• Published in: International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
• Main Authors: Grinde, Bjørn, Schirmer, Henrik, Eggen, Anne Elise, Aigner, Ludwig, Engdahl, Bo Lars
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 2020
• Subjects: VDP::Medical disciplines: 700::Health sciences: 800::Community medicine; Social medicine: 801; VDP::Medisinske Fag: 700::Helsefag: 800::Samfunnsmedisin; sosialmedisin: 801; Tromsø
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10037/20866; https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-020-01160-8

Background - The leukotriene receptor antagonist montelukast has been shown to rejuvenate aged brains in rats; however, data on humans are still scarce. Objective To investigate if montelukast may alleviate degenerative neurological changes using a register data. Setting Norwegian registry data analyses. Method - The present observational study was based on data from the Norwegian Prescription Database and the Tromsø Study. The former has information regarding the use of prescription medicine; the latter includes tests for brain function such as subjective memory and finger-tapping. Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to see how the use of various medications correlated with the test results, correcting for likely confounders. Main outcome measure - Results on seven different tests considered relevant for neurological health were used as outcome. Results Previous use of montelukast correlated with improved scores on cognitive or neurological functioning (F = 2.20, p = 0.03 in a multivariate test). A range of other medications were tested with the same algorithm, including drugs acting on the immune system, but none of them correlated with (overall) significantly improved test results. Conclusion - The present data suggest that montelukast may alleviate degenerative neurological changes associated with human aging.