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Elevation in Plasma Abeta42 in Geriatric Depression: A Pilot Study

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Abstract

Elevated plasma amyloid beta 1–42 (Aβ42) level has been linked to increased risk for incident AD in cognitively-intact elderly. However, plasma Aβ levels in individuals with late-life depression (LLMD), especially those with a late age of onset of first depressive episode, who are at a particularly increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease, have not been studied. We compared plasma Aβ in 47 elderly with LLMD with 35 controls and examined its relationships to age of onset of first depressive episode, antidepressant treatment (paroxetine or nortriptyline), and indices of platelet activation (platelet factor 4 and beta-thromboglobulin) and brain abnormalities. Results indicated that plasma Aβ42 levels and the Aβ42/40 ratio were elevated in the LLMD group relative to controls in the overall group analyses and in the age- and gender-matched groups. MRI data indicated that higher Aβ42/40 ratio was associated with greater severity of total white matter hyperintensity burden in LLMD. Plasma Aβ levels in LLMD were not influenced by age of onset of first depressive episode or antidepressant treatment and were not related to indices of platelet activation. Our preliminary results suggest that increased plasma Aβ42 and Aβ42/40 ratio are present in geriatric depression, and future studies should be done to confirm these findings and to determine their relationship to cognitive decline and brain abnormalities associated with LLMD.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by MH65416 and MH52247. We would like to thank Ms. Margaret Kirshner, Program Manager, Division of Geriatrics and Neuropsychiatry Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Western Psychiatric Institute for assisting us with various aspects of data collection and the staff at the Mental Health Intervention Research Center for the Study of Late Life Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine for taking care of the patients who participated in this study. Drs. Pomara, Doraiswamy, Mulsant, Mehta, Reynolds, and Pollock have received honoraria, research support, and/or served as consultants to manufacturers of antidepressants and Alzheimer’s disease medications. Dr. Pomara has filed a joint patent application with the NYU School of Medicine on the use of anti-amyloid β based therapies for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geriatric Psychiatry Program, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA

    Nunzio Pomara, Lisa M. Willoughby, Amy E. Roth & John J. Sidtis

  2. Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Nunzio Pomara, Lisa M. Willoughby & John J. Sidtis

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    P. Murali Doraiswamy

  4. lntervention Research Center for the Study of Late-Life Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Benoit H. Mulsant, Charles F. Reynolds III & Bruce G. Pollock

  5. Department of Immunology, Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, USA

    Pankaj D. Mehta

Authors
  1. Nunzio Pomara
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  2. P. Murali Doraiswamy
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  3. Lisa M. Willoughby
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  4. Amy E. Roth
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  5. Benoit H. Mulsant
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  6. John J. Sidtis
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  7. Pankaj D. Mehta
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  8. Charles F. Reynolds III
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  9. Bruce G. Pollock
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nunzio Pomara.

Additional information

Presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, San Juan, Puerto Rico, December 12–16, 2004.

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Pomara, N., Doraiswamy, P.M., Willoughby, L.M. et al. Elevation in Plasma Abeta42 in Geriatric Depression: A Pilot Study. Neurochem Res 31, 341–349 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-005-9029-z

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