Association of amyloid-beta with depression or depressive symptoms in older adults without dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Published in: Translational psychiatry Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 25
• Main Authors: Twait, Emma L., Wu, Jen-Hao, Kamarioti, Maria, Basten, Maartje, van der Flier, Wiesje M., Gerritsen, Lotte, Geerlings, Mirjam I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 15.01.2024; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/53/2422; 692/699/476/1414; Aged; Amyloid beta-Peptides - cerebrospinal fluid; Behavioral Sciences; Biological Psychology; Biomarkers; Cognitive Dysfunction - diagnosis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dementia; Depression; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Neurosciences; Older people; Pharmacotherapy; Positron-Emission Tomography; Psychiatry; Systematic Review; tau Proteins - cerebrospinal fluid
• ISSN: 2158-3188; 2158-3188
• DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02739-9

Several lines of evidence have indicated that depression might be a prodromal symptom of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the cross-sectional association between amyloid-beta, one of the key pathologies defining AD, and depression or depressive symptoms in older adults without dementia. A systematic search in PubMed yielded 689 peer-reviewed articles. After full-text screening, nine CSF studies, 11 PET studies, and five plasma studies were included. No association between amyloid-beta and depression or depressive symptoms were found using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (0.15; 95% CI: −0.08; 0.37), positron emission topography (PET) (Cohen’s d: 0.09; 95% CI: −0.05; 0.24), or plasma (−0.01; 95% CI: −0.23; 0.22). However, subgroup analyses revealed an association in plasma studies of individuals with cognitive impairment. A trend of an association was found in the studies using CSF and PET. This systematic review and meta-analysis suggested that depressive symptoms may be part of the prodromal stage of dementia.