Gray matter changes in late-life depression and Alzheimer’s disease with or without comorbid depression: An unbiased whole-brain voxel-based morphometry study

Congress:

ECR 2018

Poster Number:

C-1350

Type:

Scientific Exhibit

Keywords:

Screening, Imaging sequences, MR, Neuroradiology brain, CNS, Segmentation, Dementia, Geriatrics

Authors:

E. Karavasilis¹, T. Parthimos¹, J. Papatriantafyllou¹, F. Christidi¹, S. Papageorgiou¹, G. Kapsas², A. Papanicolaou³, I. Seimenis²; ¹ATHENS/GR, ²Alexandroupolis/GR, ³Memphis/US

DOI:

10.1594/ecr2018/C-1350

DOI-Link:

https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/ecr2018/C-1350

Fig. 1: Anatomical regions with gray matter loss in depressive and non-depressive AD...

Fig. 2: Anatomical regions with gray matter loss in late-life depressed patients...

Fig. 3: Anatomical regions with gray matter loss in depressive AD patients compared to...

Fig. 4: Anatomical regions with gray matter differences between LLD and non-depressive...

Aims and objectives

The diagnosis of depression in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is often hampered by the concurrent dementia clinical symptoms, considering that depressive symptoms are often similar to the symptoms and signs of dementia [1]. There is a growing body of evidence over an interrelation between depression and AD dementia, which can be explained via multiple biological mechanisms [2]. Also, there is growing evidence linking late-life depression (LLD) with the development of dementia [3], even though a recent longitudinal study did not support such a link [4]. Thus,...

Methods and materials

Age- and gender-matched groups of 24 HC, 42 non-depressive AD patients, 29 depressive AD patients, and 30 LLD patients were recruited from an outpatient Memory clinic and a Day Care Center for 3rd Age (Table 1) and underwent brain MRI with a 3D, high-resolution (HR) T1-weighted sequence in different MRI scanners. Inclusion criteria were: a) age ≥55 years old; b) diagnosis of unipolar depressive episode according to DSM-5 after semi-structural examination by a psychiatrist and c) diagnosis of AD according to well-established diagnostic criteria and...

Results

Both AD groups (with and without depressive symptoms) showed decreased GMV in medial/lateral temporal lobes, precuneus/posterior cingulum, supramarginal gyrus and lingual gyrus/fusiform (p<0.05, FWE corrected) compared to the HC group (Fig 1). LLD patients exhibited reduced GMV in left lateral temporal areas and insula (p<0.001, uncorrected) (Fig 2). Direct comparison between the AD groups revealed significant GMV reduction in bilateral thalamus, precentral gyrus, left paracentral lobule and right supplementary motor area in depressive AD patients (p<0.05, FWE corrected) (Fig 3). Compared to LLD patients, depressive...

Conclusion

Depression in AD seems to be associated with a specific pattern of GMV changes distinct from those characterizing non-depressive AD patients and LLD patients. This pattern could potentially constitute a neuroimaging marker useful in identifying LLD patients with increased risk for developing AD and/or AD patients prone to experiencing depressive symptoms.

Personal information

References

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