Understanding the effect of neurodegeneration on later life depression
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Neurodegenerative and vascular brain pathology in depression in early/mid vs late adulthood
IRAS ID
217835
Contact name
Lindsey Sinclair
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of late life dementia. The numbers of people affected are set to nearly triple by 2050. There is no cure. It is currently thought that the disease process starts decades before memory problems emerge.
Depression affects up to 1 in 6 people during their lifetime. Although new cases of depression are more common in younger adults there is a second (smaller) peak in the mid 50s suggesting that something different is going on. The symptoms of depression in later life also differ from those seen earlier in life.
It is well known that depressed individuals have memory problems. This has been long recognized in the elderly as depressive “pseudodementia”. Clinically depression and anxiety are often observed in the years preceding a diagnosis of dementia but it remains unclear whether these are very early dementia symptoms or a risk factor for its development. Studies have been published supporting both points of view.
It remains unclear what the exact relationship is between depression and dementia. We hypothesise that late life depression leads to more Alzheimer’s changes, nerve cell junction loss, inflammation and changes in gene regulation compared to controls and those aged <50 with depression.
We will use brain tissue donated by individuals who have died and obtain this from 4 groups: younger adults with depression, adults aged >50 with depression, adults with mild memory problems and controls with no depression or memory problems. Studying younger individuals will help us to ascertain the effects of depression alone versus its influence on dementia.
We will look at multiple brain areas involved in controlling mood, which are affected in dementia or both. We will measure the amount of Alzheimer changes, extent of blood vessel changes, level of inflammation, nerve cell junction loss and changes in gene expression.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NW/0126
Date of REC Opinion
27 Feb 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion