Depression in Alzheimer ’s disease: epidemiology, mechanisms, and treatment

Depression and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are substantial public health concerns. In the past decades, a link between two disease entities has received extensive acknowledgment, yet the complex nature of this relationship has demanded further clarification. Some evidence indicates that mid-life depression may be an AD risk factor, while a chronic course of depression in late life may be a precursor to or symptom of dementia. Recently, multiple pathophysiological mechanisms have been proposed to underlie the bidirectional relationship between depression and AD, including genetic predisposition, immune dysregulation, the accumulation of AD-related biomarkers (e.g., amyloid beta and tau), and alterations in brain structure.
Source: Biological Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research