A new study suggests that depression in some people might be linked to the same toxic plaques in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
These findings, led by Catherine Munro, a neuropsychologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, provide further evidence that depressive symptoms could be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s before memory and cognitive issues become apparent.
Traditionally, the connection between depression and Alzheimer’s has been unclear. While depression is common in Alzheimer’s patients, it hasn’t been fully understood whether depression contributes to the disease or if it is a result of it.
This new research, however, sheds light on the possibility that depression could be a manifestation of the early stages of Alzheimer’s, driven by the same brain changes that lead to cognitive decline.
The study, which was published in the JAMA Network Open journal, involved 154 participants from the Harvard Aging Brain Study.
All participants were mentally healthy when they joined the study, and data were collected over an average of nearly nine years, from 2010 to 2022. During this time, the participants underwent PET scans every two to three years.
These scans were used to detect the accumulation of amyloid plaques in their brains, which are known to be a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers found that among participants who initially had mild or no depressive symptoms, those who developed increasing symptoms of depression were also experiencing early amyloid buildup in parts of the brain involved in emotional regulation.
This connection was observed regardless of whether the participants had begun to show signs of memory or thinking problems.
Dr. Marc Gordon, a neurologist not involved in the study, explained that this finding helps clarify the link between depression and Alzheimer’s.
In the past, some cases of depression in people with cognitive impairments might have been mistaken for “pseudo-depression,” where symptoms of depression were thought to mimic those of cognitive decline.
However, this study suggests that depression could actually be an early manifestation of Alzheimer’s disease, linked directly to the amyloid buildup in the brain.
In other words, rather than depression being a consequence of cognitive difficulties, it might actually be an early sign of the disease itself, caused by the same pathological changes in the brain that eventually lead to Alzheimer’s.
Munro’s team believes that these insights could make depression a potential early warning sign for Alzheimer’s, especially in older adults who are at risk.
As new treatments that slow the progression of Alzheimer’s become available, early detection is becoming increasingly important. Identifying depression as a symptom of early Alzheimer’s could help in diagnosing the disease sooner and starting treatment earlier.
Dr. Gordon also noted the possibility that new drugs targeting amyloid plaques might not only slow cognitive decline but also help alleviate related emotional and behavioral issues, such as depression.
However, he cautioned that this research is still in its early stages, and more studies are needed to confirm these findings.
In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of monitoring new or worsening depressive symptoms in older adults, especially those who may be at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
As our understanding of the relationship between depression and Alzheimer’s grows, it could lead to better early detection and more effective treatments for this devastating disease.
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The research findings can be found in JAMA Network Open.
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