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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by Guy on April 9, 2008, at 11:54:42
As if things aren't already bad enough for us, Dutch researchers have now discovered that people who suffer from depression before the age of 60 are four times more likely to develop alzheimers. Let the good times roll! The article is in Danish, but here's the link anyways.
http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Udland/2008/04/09/160147.htm
Posted by Guy on April 9, 2008, at 12:02:48
In reply to Alzheimers linked to depression, posted by Guy on April 9, 2008, at 11:54:42
Here is the BBC version:
Depression linked to Alzheimer's
People who have had depression may be more prone to Alzheimer's disease, two studies suggest.Dutch researchers found Alzheimer's was 2.5 times more likely in people with a history of depression.
Similarly, US researchers, examining Catholic clergy, found those with signs of depression were more likely to go on to develop Alzheimer's.
The Dutch appears in the journal Neurology and the US study in Archives of General Psychiatry.
The Dutch study was small - 486 people over an average of six years, with just 33 people developing Alzheimer's.
But it found that people who showed signs of depression before the age of 60 were four times more likely to develop Alzheimer's.
We don't know yet whether depression contributes to the development of Alzheimer's disease, or whether another unknown factor causes both depression and dementia
Dr Monique Breteler
Erasmus University Medical CenterThe researchers, from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, said more work was needed to fully understand the link between Alzheimer's and depression.
Lead researcher Dr Monique Breteler said: "We don't know yet whether depression contributes to the development of Alzheimer's disease, or whether another unknown factor causes both depression and dementia."
One theory is that depression leads to the loss of cells in two areas of the brain, the hippocampus and the amygdala, which then contributes to Alzheimer's disease.
However, the latest study found no difference in the size of these two brain areas in people with depression and people who had never developed the condition.
Second study
The findings were echoed in a second study by Rush University in the US published in Archives of General Psychiatry.
The researchers followed more than 900 members of the Catholic clergy for up to 13 years during which time 190 developed Alzheimer's.
They found that those with more signs of depression at the start of the study were more likely to develop Alzheimer's.
But there was little evidence of an increase in depressive symptoms during the early stages of disease.
Even after the diagnosis of Alzheimer's was made there was no general increase in depression, but rather an increase that was confined to individuals with certain personality traits.
The researchers said their findings suggested that depression was a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease - rather than a subtle early sign of its underlying pathology.
Researcher Dr Robert Wilson said: "Depressive symptoms may be associated with distinctive changes in the brain that somehow reduce neural reserve, which is the brain's ability to tolerate the pathology associated with Alzheimer's disease."
Rebecca Wood, of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said the research was interesting, and potentially useful.
She said: "Identifying people at higher risk could lead to ways to reduce the number of people who develop dementia, help researchers to understand more about dementia and create new avenues of research."
Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, said: "More research is needed to clarify the relationship between dementia and depression and determine whether depression causes changes in the brain that make dementia more likely."
Posted by Phillipa on April 9, 2008, at 12:28:14
In reply to Re: Alzheimers linked to depression, posted by Guy on April 9, 2008, at 12:02:48
Since a lot of my neighbors and other nurses, plus people just strike up a conversation with are or have used antidepressants does this mean that eventually it will affect all those people as it seems that a large amount of people do have some depression at one time or another. For instance post partum depression. Phillipa or premenstral?
Posted by Quintal on April 9, 2008, at 12:36:13
In reply to Alzheimers linked to depression, posted by Guy on April 9, 2008, at 11:54:42
I wonder if antidepressants confer any protection? Something as simple as ibuprofen might help offset the risk if you're concerned. Apparently it lowers the production of a peptide that leads to the formation of plaques.
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070808/msgs/775208.htmlQ
Posted by dbc on April 9, 2008, at 14:15:15
In reply to Alzheimers linked to depression, posted by Guy on April 9, 2008, at 11:54:42
Glutamate toxicity has long been thought of for being one of the major causes of alzheimers and is also implicated in depression. I think there was some trials of lamictal in alzheimers patients but i dont remember the results, its kind of a weird choice because how exactly lamictal works isnt really understood, its magic as far as most doctors are concerned.
Posted by deniseuk190466 on April 15, 2008, at 10:54:47
In reply to Alzheimers linked to depression, posted by Guy on April 9, 2008, at 11:54:42
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This is the end of the thread.
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