
Predicting Depression and Alzheimer Disease Through Major Depressive Disorder Risk Factors
Individuals with depression may be at a greater risk to develop late-onset Alzheimer disease, but a new study suggests depression onset may help predict Alzheimer disease.
Depression is a common comorbidity for patients with late-onset
Using statistics from a genome-wide association study, investigators created polygenic risk scores (PRS) using datasets from the Religious Orders Society and Rush Memory and Aging Project (ROSMAP, n = 1708) and National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC, n = 10,256) as discovery and validation cohorts. The data were used to assess the PRS performance in predicting depression onset in patients with late-onset Alzheimer disease.
Standalone models showed marginal results for predicting
“This study provided new insights into the genetic factors contributing to depression onset in [late-onset Alzheimer disease] and advanced our knowledge of the genetics underlying the heterogeneity of depression in [late-onset Alzheimer disease],” said the authors.
As individuals with depression are more likely to develop late-onset Alzheimer disease, this suggests treating depression may delay development of Alzheimer disease. Further studies needed to confirm and replicate findings.
References
1. Upadhya S, Liu H, Luo S, et al.
2. Lyketsos CG, Carrillo MC, Ryan JM, et al.
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