Mechanisms Linking White Matter Lesions, Tract Integrity, and Depression in Alzheimer Disease

Late-life depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the aging population and its prevalence is exacerbated in those with dementia.1 Onset of depressive symptoms in late life is precipitated by risk factors including cerebrovascular disease, old age, vulnerable genotypes, low socioeconomic status, and stressful life events.2 –4 Of these risks, the most studied has been cerebrovascular disease, which has been proposed by the vascular depression hypothesis to predispose, precipitate, and perpetuate late-life depression by altering cerebral white matter.

Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - April 17, 2019 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Chathuri Yatawara, Daryl Lee, Kok Pin Ng, Russell Chander, Debby Ng, Fang Ji, Hee Youn Shim, Saima Hilal, Narayanaswamy Venketasubramanian, Christopher Chen, Juan Zhou, Nagaendran Kandiah Tags: Regular Research Article Source Type: research