 |
|
Increased Hippocampal Plaques and Tangles in Patients With Alzheimer Disease With a Lifetime History of Major Depression
Michael A. Rapp, MD, PhD;
Michal Schnaider-Beeri, PhD;
Hillel T. Grossman, MD;
Mary Sano, PhD;
Daniel P. Perl, MD;
Dushyant P. Purohit, MD;
Jack M. Gorman, MD;
Vahram Haroutunian, PhD
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2006;63:161-167.
Context The hallmark pathological changes in Alzheimer disease (AD) are abundant plaque and tangle formation, especially in the temporal lobes and hippocampus. Although there is increasing evidence that major depression may interact with neuropathological processes in AD, there have been no studies of neuropathological changes in AD as a function of history of major depression.
Objective To test the hypothesis that neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are more pronounced in the hippocampus of patients with AD with a lifetime history of major depressive disorder, as compared with patients with AD without depression history.
Design Postmortem study.
Setting Nursing home.
Participants The brains of 52 patients with AD without a lifetime history of major depression were compared with the brains of 50 patients with AD with a lifetime history of major depression.
Main Outcome Measures Neuropathological ratings from the Consortium to Establish a Registry in Alzheimer Disease battery.
Results Brains of patients with AD with a lifetime history of depression showed higher levels of both plaque (P<.005) and tangle (P<.002) formation within the hippocampus than brains of patients with AD without a history of depression. Post hoc analyses showed that patients with AD who had a history of depression exhibited more rapid cognitive decline than patients without a history of depression (P<.004). Furthermore, within the group of patients with AD with a history of depression, patients who exhibited concurrent depression at the time of first diagnosis of AD exhibited more pronounced neuropathological changes in the hippocampus (P<.006).
Conclusions In AD, the presence of a lifetime history of depression corresponds to increases in AD-related neuropathological changes within the hippocampus. These changes go along with more rapid cognitive decline in patients with AD with a history of depression, and are more pronounced in patients with AD suffering from depression early on in the disease process, suggesting an interaction between major depression and AD neuropathology.
Author Affiliations: Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY (Drs Rapp, Schnaider-Beeri, Grossman, Perl, Purohit, Gorman, Sano, and Haroutunian); Department of Psychiatry, Bronx Veterans Affairs Hospital, Bronx, NY (Drs Grossman, Sano, and Haroutunian)
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
|
Social Network, Cognitive Function, and Dementia Incidence Among Elderly Women
Crooks et al.
Am. J. Public Health 2008;98:1221-1227.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Amyloid-Associated Depression: A Prodromal Depression of Alzheimer Disease?
Sun et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2008;65:542-550.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Increased Neurofibrillary Tangles in Patients With Alzheimer Disease With Comorbid Depression
Rapp et al.
AJGP 2008;16:168-174.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Hippocampal Morphology and Distinguishing Late-Onset From Early-Onset Elderly Depression
Ballmaier et al.
Am. J. Psychiatry 2008;165:229-237.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Distinguishing Between Depression and Dementia in Older Persons: Neuropsychological and Neuropathological Correlates
Wright and Persad
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2007;20:189-198.
ABSTRACT
Neurocognitive Impairment and Dementia in Mood Disorders
Pfennig et al.
J. Neuropsychiatry Clin. Neurosi. 2007;19:373-382.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Predictors of progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer disease
Palmer et al.
Neurology 2007;68:1596-1602.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Does Depression Interact with Alzheimer Disease?
JWatch Neurology 2006;2006:7-7.
FULL TEXT
Does Depression Interact with Alzheimer Disease?
JWatch Psychiatry 2006;2006:5-5.
FULL TEXT
|
