Characterization of Depressive Symptoms in Dementia and Examination of Possible Risk Factors

Lindsey I Sinclair*, Michael A Lawton, Jennifer C Palmer, Clive Ballard

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Background:
Depression in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is common, distressing, difficult to treat, and inadequately understood. It occurs more frequently in AD than in older adults without dementia. The reasons why some patients develop depression during AD and others do not remain obscure.

Objective:
We aimed to characterize depression in AD and to identify risk factors.

Methods:
We used data from three large dementia focused cohorts: ADNI (n = 665 with AD, 669 normal cognition), NACC (n = 698 with AD, 711 normal cognition), and BDR (n = 757 with AD). Depression ratings were available using the GDS and NPI and in addition for BDR the Cornell. A cut-off of≥8 was used for the GDS and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia,≥6 for the NPI depression sub-scale, and≥2 for the NPI-Q depression sub-scale. We used logistic regression to examine potential risk factors and random effects meta-analysis and an interaction term to look for interactions between each risk factor and the presence of cognitive impairment.

Results:
In individual studies there was no evidence of a difference in risk factors for depressive symptoms in AD. In the meta-analysis the only risk factor which increased the risk of depressive symptoms in AD was previous depression, but information on this was only available from one study (OR 7.78 95% CI 4.03–15.03).

Conclusion:
Risk factors for depression in AD appear to differ to those for depression per se supporting suggestions of a different pathological process, although a past history of depression was the strongest individual risk factor.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)213-225
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Alzheimer's Disease
Volume7
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 7 Mar 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The NACC database is funded by NIA/NIH Grant U24 AG072122. NACC data are contributed by the NIA-funded ADCs: P50 AG005131 (PI James Brewer, MD, PhD), P50 AG005133 (PI Oscar Lopez, MD), P50 AG005134 (PI Bradley Hyman, MD, PhD), P50 AG005136 (PI Thomas Grabowski, MD), P50 AG005138 (PI Mary Sano, PhD), P50 AG005142 (PI Helena Chui, MD), P50 AG005146 (PI Marilyn Albert, PhD), P50 AG005681 (PI John Morris, MD), P30 AG008017 (PI Jeffrey Kaye, MD), P30 AG008051 (PI Thomas Wisniewski, MD), P50 AG008702 (PI Scott Small, MD), P30 AG010124 (PI John Trojanowski, MD, PhD), P30 AG010129 (PI Charles DeCarli, MD), P30 AG010133 (PI Andrew Saykin, PsyD), P30 AG010161 (PI David Bennett, MD), P30 AG012300 (PI Roger Rosenberg, MD), P30 AG013846 (PI Neil Kowall, MD), P30 AG013854 (PI Robert Vassar, PhD), P50 AG016573 (PI Frank LaFerla, PhD), P50 AG016574 (PI Ronald Petersen, MD, PhD), P30 AG019610 (PI Eric Reiman, MD), P50 AG023501 (PI Bruce Miller, MD), P50 AG025688 (PI Allan Levey, MD, PhD), P30 AG028383 (PI Linda Van Eldik, PhD), P50 AG033514 (PI Sanjay Asthana, MD, FRCP), P30 AG035982 (PI Russell Swerdlow, MD), P50 AG047266 (PI Todd Golde, MD, PhD), P50 AG047270 (PI Stephen Strittmatter, MD, PhD), P50 AG047366 (PI Victor Henderson, MD, MS), P30 AG049638 (PI Suzanne Craft, PhD), P30 AG053760 (PI Henry Paulson, MD, PhD), P30 AG066546 (PI Sudha Seshadri, MD), P20 AG068024 (PI Erik Roberson, MD, PhD), P20 AG068053 (PI Marwan Sabbagh, MD), P20 AG068077 (PI Gary Rosenberg, MD), P20 AG068082 (PI Angela Jefferson, PhD), P30 AG072958 (PI Heather Whitson, MD), P30 AG072959 (PI James Leverenz, MD).

Funding Information:
Data collection and sharing for this project was funded by the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) (National Institutes of Health Grant U01 AG024904) and DOD ADNI (Department of Defense award number W81XWH-12-2-0012). ADNI is funded by the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, and through generous contributions from the following: AbbVie, Alzheimer’s Association; Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation; Araclon Biotech; BioClinica, Inc.; Biogen; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; CereSpir, Inc.; Cogstate; Eisai Inc.; Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Eli Lilly and Company; EuroImmun; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and its affiliated company Genentech, Inc.; Fujirebio; GE Healthcare; IXICO Ltd.; Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy Research & Development, LLC.; Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development LLC.; Lumosity; Lundbeck; Merck & Co., Inc.; Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC.; NeuroRx Research; Neurotrack Technologies; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Pfizer Inc.; Piramal Imaging; Servier; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company; and Transition Therapeutics. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research is providing funds to support ADNI clinical sites in Canada. Private sector contributions are facilitated by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health ( http://www.fnih.org ). The grantee organization is the Northern California Institute for Research and Education, and the study is coordinated by the Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute at the University of Southern California. ADNI data are disseminated by the Laboratory for Neuro Imaging at the University of Southern California.

Funding Information:
During the last 3 years, Clive Ballard has received consulting fees from Acadia pharmaceutical company, AARP, Addex pharmaceutical company, Eli Lily, Enterin pharmaceutical company, GWPharm, H.Lundbeck pharmaceutical company, Novartis pharmaceutical company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Johnson and Johnson pharmaceuticals, Novo Nordisk pharmaceutical comapny, Orion Corp pharmaceutical company, Otsuka America Pharm Inc, Sunovion Pharm. Inc, Suven pharmaceutical company, Roche pharmaceutical company, Biogen pharmaceutical company, Synexus clinical research organization and tauX pharmaceutical company and research funding from synexus clinical research organization, Roche pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk pharmaceutical company, Novartis pharmaceutical company, Medical research council (UK), Wellcome trust (UK), National Institute for Health Research (UK), National Institute for Health (US), IMI (Eu), Michael J Fox foundation (US), Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery foundation (US), Alzheimer’s Society (UK), Parkinson’s Society (UK), Alzheimer’s Research UK, the Gilling’s foundation and BRACE (UK)

Funding Information:
ML has no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose. He has received research funding from the MS Society, Parkinson’s UK and the NIHR HTA.

Funding Information:
LS has no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose. She has previously received a travel award from the RCPsych/Gatsby Foundation and is the finance office for the Academic Faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. She has received research funding in the past from the Mason Medical Research Foundation, the David Telling Charitable Trust, BRACE Alzheimer’s Research and the British Neuropathological Society.

Funding Information:
LS is funded by a junior fellowship from the Alzheimer’s Society (grant no. 518) and by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute (University of Bristol) and the Wellcome Trust Strategic Institutional Support fund. ML has received research funding from the MS Society, Parkinson’s UK, and the NIHR HTA. CB is funded by the NIHR. JP is supported by a British Heart Foundation Accelerator Award (AA/18/7/34219) and works in a Unit that is supported by the University of Bristol and UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00011/6).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 - The authors. Published by IOS Press.

Research Groups and Themes

  • Cerebrovascular and Dementia Research Group

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