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Midlife Depression More Common in People With Genetic Predisposition to Alzheimer Disease
A greater genetic burden for Alzheimer disease is associated with a higher likelihood of midlife depression in people with unimpaired cognition independent of any genetic burden for depression, according to study findings published online ahead of print in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
“These findings suggest that depression manifesting at or after age 50 in cognitively normal persons may represent one of the early signs of prodrome for future cognitive decline and may signify an increased risk for subsequent development of Alzheimer’s disease,” wrote researchers from the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. “Furthermore, it raises an important question of whether treating depression manifesting after age 50 in cognitively normal persons can alter the risk for subsequent development of Alzheimer’s disease.”
The study included 6656 US residents of European ancestry with whole-genome genotyping from the population-based Health and Retirement Study cohort. Participants had assessments of depressive symptoms and cognitive performance every 2 years for up to 21 years. Researchers estimated polygenic risk scores for Alzheimer disease and used regression modeling to test for a link with depression in participants with normal cognition.
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Participants with unimpaired cognition with higher polygenic risk scores for Alzheimer disease were more likely to experience depression after age 50, according to study. The result held after researchers accounted for factors including genetic predisposition to depression, sex, age, and education.
The study suggests some common genetics between depression and Alzheimer’s disease, the authors advised.
“Genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease may be one of the factors contributing to the pathogenesis of mid-life depression,” they wrote. “Whether there is a shared genetic basis between mid-life depression and Alzheimer disease merits further study.”
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